RuroKen and the Philosopher's Stone
by Chosha Kurenai
Summary: Eleven year old Kenshin gets a shock when he finds out he's a wizard, but soon realises he might need to use all his skills in magic and swords to solve the mystery at Hogwarts...
1. Chapter 1

RuroKen and the Philosopher's Stone

Konnichiwa mina! I was just reading Harry Potter (again) when I came up with this idea for a HP/RK story. I had no plot to begin with, but I really wanted to try out this complete improvisation. I hope it goes well, so please, try out and review! It's an experiment really, but I'd love to know what you think!

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Sessha doesn't own RK or HP. I don't even own part of this story plot! Waaaaaa! They belong to those masterminds Watsuki-sama and J.K. Rowling.

Chapter One

The Mysterious Letter

Magic exists all around us. It is in the air we breathe, in every star that shines, in every life that lives its course. Though some of us will never truly realise the extent of magic in the world, there is a world that is under our very noses that knows exactly what magic can do. Soon more will discover the true meaning of magic, one such person being Ten year old Himura Kenshin.

"Baka Deshi"

Kenshin sighed softly. Despite what some people may think, Himura Kenshin was by no means ignorant or stupid. Even though he had lived with his Shishou in the secluded mountains close to Kyoto and nowhere near any public school, Kenshin had been taught not only the Kenjutsu style, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, by his master, but had also been taught academics as well. In fact, Himura Kenshin could speak in Japanese, Spanish, French and English, could do complicated sums and had good writing skills as well. Even so, it seemed to him that his Shishou was still determined to show him up as an idiot.

Kenshin glanced up at his master. Hiko Seijuro was a giant of a man – almost seven feet tall compared to Kenshin's four foot – with a thick mass of onyx coloured hair and wore an impressive looking white mantle draped over his muscular shoulders. Despite being around forty years of age, Hiko had the physique of a fit man of late twenties. He had just walked out of his cabin and had one hand resting against the open fushuma, revealing a katana tucked into his hakama.

"Hai, Shishou?"

Hiko smirked slightly. "How long have you been training under me now?"

Despite the fact that Kenshin knew he already knew the answer, he was more concerned by the smirk on his master's face. Wherever this conversation would be going, it wasn't going to lead anywhere good. "Um… almost four years now."

"Well, I think it's about time that I see how much you have learned from me, Baka Deshi."

Kenshin's heart sank. "In… academics…?" he asked hopefully, but Hiko's smirk just grew larger. _Oh no_, he thought in horror, _not another spar!_ Scratch leading nowhere good. Kenshin had just taken the train to Doomsville. The last time he had 'spared' with the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi ryu, Kenshin had come out black and blue, with several broken ribs, while Hiko didn't even have a scratch on him.

"What a wonderful idea. Well, if you want one so badly, we can have a test later – after a spar"

Oh Kami, the dreaded word. But as soon as he looked at his master's arrogant eyes, Kenshin's stubbornness kicked in. Like hell he'd look a chicken in front of Hiko! With a frustrated sigh, Kenshin picked up the katana he had been using to practise with only moments before and approached his master, while Hiko drew out his own from within his cloak. Kenshin was glad that Hiko had such a hermit-like nature. At least he wouldn't have to humiliate himself in front of a load of other people as well. Dealing with just Hiko was enough to bruise his ten-year-old pride.

Still, it didn't mean he wouldn't try his best to avoid a pummelling - he didn't find having his body rearranged into something most commonly found in orange juice a very desirable option. "But you asked me to go to town after I finished practice, Shishou" he said, hoping Hiko would at least make him do that first. Then he could slooooowly walk down and, conveniently get lost, then 'unintentionally' get drawn into convocation, before slooooowly making his way back. Hopefully, Hiko would have forgotten by then.

"Then you can do it after practice. A spar is part of the practice" answered an amused Hiko.

Kuso!

Kenshin sighed. _Well, it was worth the try_. Quickly, he moved into stance, inwardly wincing at the prospect of going to town with whatever Hiko threw at him. Maybe he could get him done for child abuse…

"I'm ready," he said resignedly.

Hiko became serious. "You should always be ready."

Like lightning, Hiko darted forward. For such a big man, Hiko was surprisingly fast. Even Kenshin, who knew from first hand experience just how fast his Shishou was, was always taken by surprise by his god-like speed. To the untrained eye, Hiko would have disappeared altogether, but Kenshin saw the blur. Before Kenshin could even blink, Hiko had got behind him; ready to swing his katana at Kenshin's exposed back. Kenshin spun around and brought up his own blade, just in time to parry Hiko's sword. The force behind the attack was enough to push the boy back several yards, vibrating through his arms even though Hiko was only using his left. Not faltering a bit, Hiko brought his sword around and swung downwards aiming for Kenshin's neck. Kenshin jumped to the side, bringing his blade vertically across his body just in time to block Hiko's blindingly fast counterstroke. Once again Kenshin was reminded of his master's amazing strength. Even when he was holding back, a one-handed swing was enough to jar all of Kenshin's bones in both of his arms. Hiko disappeared again. Even Kenshin was unsure where he went this time. He heard a sword hissing as it cut air and glanced up just in time to see Hiko use the Ryutsuisen. Kenshin vaulted himself to the side just as the katana struck exactly where his head had been. Scrambling to his feet, he turned just in time to avoid the lightning-fast upstroke. Kenshin spotted an opening and brought his blade round to strike his ribs, but Hiko's blade met it mid-stroke, jarring his arms once again, causing Kenshin to stumble backwards.

_He has the right to be every bit as arrogant as he is_, thought Kenshin as he regained his balance to avoid another strike. But Kenshin would never tell that to his master. _Shishou is like a father to me, but he is so arroga...!_

Kenshin gasped as darted out of the way of a Doryusen, only to feel a burst of pain in his side.

"You were daydreaming again, Baka Deshi," said Hiko as he lowered his foot. "You would have seen that kick coming had you been paying any attention whatsoever to our spar." He smirked as the boy righted himself and glared at him with amethyst eyes, his short-ish, ruby-red hair all over his face, his hand clutching his side. "How about I use the sword next time?"

Kenshin muttered a long list of intelligible things, but Hiko picked up the words "slave driver" "stupid" and something about child abuse. However, all this did was make the larger man's eyes sparkle with amusement.

"You deserved it, Baka Deshi, especially since you threw away half my pottery collection the last year," Hiko replied with a knowing look in his eyes.

_Does he never forget?_ An exasperated Kenshin thought. "But it wasn't me, shishou! I didn't go near your pottery! I swear, they just disappeared," said Kenshin desperately. He glared up at him again. "What are you doing making pottery anyway?" He grumbled.

"True genius shows itself in many forms. Besides, how else are we going to get money," replied Hiko in a defensive and equally low voice. "Now, about going to town" Hiko said. He threw his wallet to the boy, who caught it "Remember to get some good Sake too"

Kenshin grumbled under his breath, but sheathed his Katana and propped it in its usual spot against the wall of the cabin and turned towards the town. Only when he had turned his back did he allow himself to wince and rub his bruised ribs.

Hiko chuckled softly as he watched the boy make his way towards the town. Despite reminding Kenshin at every opportunity how much of a Baka he was, Hiko still felt a fatherly pride towards his apprentice. It wasn't that Hiko didn't care for the boy. In fact, he had grown quite attached to Kenshin over the years. It was just that he wasn't going to show the troublemaker he had a soft spot. When he had first met Kenshin, that tiny child all alone beside hand-dug graves, he had been unsure whether it would be a good idea to take him on as his apprentice at all. The boy was so small, he thought that it would kill him. However, Kenshin's stubborn determination saw him through. He had progressed so much from that time he had first handled a blade at all. Hiko smiled as he looked at the small scratch across his arm. Yes, he had to say his Baka Deshi was certainly improving. There were very few who could mark Hiko.

As Hiko was about to turn to go back into his cabin, a very strange sight greeted him. There, sitting on a log close to the fire was a large tawny owl. It stared at Hiko with unblinking, amber eyes, which sparkled with an unknown intelligence. As Hiko watched with raised eyebrow, the owl stuck out its leg to reveal a letter bound by a silver band. Curious, Hiko unbound the letter and unrolled it. As he glanced at the front of it, he saw the writing was in English – 'Mr. S. Hiko' – in emerald ink.

Hiko frowned sceptically. Who would be using an _owl_ to write a letter to him? Sitting on the log, he turned the envelope and broke the violet-coloured seal, noting the curious symbol of a lion, snake, badger and eagle all surrounding a letter 'H', before pulling out the letter inside. Unfolding it, he read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL_

_Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr Hiko,_

_We are proud to inform you that the young boy you adopted nearly four years ago is a wizard. Unfortunately, witches and wizards from Japan are to attend Japanese magic schools within a few years of their birth, which for some reason the boy in question, Shinta Himura, was unable to do. But this also creates a rather dangerous situation. If a child with magic, especially one with as strong magical abilities as Shinta, is left to his or her own devises, that magical talent will not just disappear, but will continue to grow more powerful. Without the appropriate training, Shinta will have no control over his powers and probably cause a lot of trouble for himself, you and surrounding muggles. _

_However, we are pleased to inform you that Shinta has a chance to study magic at Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry. At Hogwarts, children from the age of eleven years will learn how to use and control their powers with responsibility. If you are interested in letting your child come to Hogwarts, please return a reply as soon as possible with the owl provided._

_We hope to hear from you soon,_

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster_

Hiko stared sceptically at the parchment in his hands. 'Hogwarts school for _Witchcraft and wizardry?_' What the Hell? There was no such thing as magic. Was this someone playing a prank or something? If it was, then how did they manage to get such information about him, like where he lived, for example, or that he had 'adopted' a child at all? Hiko glanced at the letter again.

_The boy in question, Shinta Himura…_

Shinta. Hiko remembered that name from the first time Hiko saw Kenshin, when he agreed to train Kenshin almost four years ago…

"…_What's your name, kid?"_

_"Shinta, sir"_

_"Shinta? That's much too soft for sword arts. From now on, your name will be Kenshin."_

_But everyone was thought dead_, Hiko thought. _It had said in the newspaper. After I found Kenshin, it had been reported that the orphanage group that was killed by gangsters were all dead – including 'Shinta', but how did anyone know he was still alive?_ Unless it was Kenshin playing a prank (It wouldn't have been the first time, he reminded himself), but he immediately dismissed the Idea. Even Kenshin wasn't dumb enough to pull such an obvious prank.

He re-read the letter until he came upon the word 'Muggle'. Muggle? What the hell was a muggle? And what did it mean 'cause trouble for himself, you and other "Muggles"?' It was absurd, but Hiko still couldn't risk it by not answering. Besides, he thought, as if to excuse his next actions, he really, really, didn't want his solitary life ruined. But before he could do anything, the owl pecked him.

Hiko glared at the owl. 'Do that again and I'll use my sword' he said in English. The bird cringed and stopped. Using a spare biro he had in tucked away in his mantle, Hiko wrote:

_If you can show me proof that Magic is real; I shall consider the offer of sending my apprentice to your school._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Seijuro Hiko_

Hiko turned back to the owl and attacked the letter on its leg. As if frightened Hiko would keep his promise about using his katana, the owl immediately flew off. Hiko watched it as it sped off into the distance, his mind troubled with strange thoughts.

Meanwhile, Kenshin made his way back towards Hiko's cabin on the solitary path, his arms filled with groceries and a large bottle of Sake for his master. The pain from Hiko's kick was fading now and he could move easily again. However, he wasn't going to go back to the Cabin yet – there was one more place he needed to visit.

As he turned the corner, he came across a line of graves. Placing down the groceries, he drew forth some flowers and approached.

The gravestones were new compared to the makeshift ones he had made on the day his 'family' was killed. Kenshin smiled sadly and separated the bunch of flowers into three, pacing them on the nearest graves. He glanced at the names on the graves: 'Sakura', 'Akane' and 'Kasumi'. If it hadn't been for them, he too, would be dead right now…

-Flashback-

A 6-year-old boy with short, scarlet hair was riding in the backseat of a mini-van that was trundling along a secluded road on the way back from Kyoto's zoo. All the orphans, big and small had had a wonderful time and the atmosphere was upbeat and quite noisy. Out of all of the orphans in the van, however, he was without doubt the youngest one there.

"Hey Shinta-chan!" called a young teenage girl from the front, her bright, light-brown eyes sparkling. "Did you like your first trip to the zoo with us?"

"H-hai, Kasumi-dono," replied Shinta nervously, looking away from the trees bordering the empty road they were on speeding by.

"You don't have to be so nervous here, Shinta-chan," a smiling girl a little bit older than the one up front said with a giggle "You've known us for 2 years already."

"O-Okay Akane-san," Shinta replied, still as nervous as before.

"Oh, leave him alone, Aki," a slim girl with pretty pigtails sitting next to him said, cuddling the little boy in her arms. "He's only six"

Akane giggled. "Sakura-kun, you're still too..."

Suddenly, the van screeched to a halt, causing all of the orphans to jerk forward restrained only by their seat belts. A few of the younger orphans squealed in protest.

"What's going on!" one of the older boys asked Hitomi-san, the woman who was driving. Getting up, he walked hunched over to the driver's seat. "Why did..." the words died on his lips when he looked up at the windshield, his mouth open in horror.

Getting on the tips of his toes while standing on the seat, Shinta peeped over the headrest in front of him, over the heads of suddenly terrified orphans. When he saw what was outside too, his eyes widened. A few feet in front of the van stood at least dozen-ragged men before a roadblock. By the looks of them, they looked like down-and-out Yakuza. What made things even worse was the fact that each man had a small handgun, with the exception of one holding what looked like a rifle - all pointed at the van.

"Get out!" Snarled the man closest to them. He had a rough face covered in stubble with wild eyes and was obviously the leader of this gang. "Get out of the van!"

Shinta saw the van driver, a old-ish woman with greying flyaway hair named Hitomi-san, nod slowly with her hands up, opened the door, and get out of the van.

"Everyone!" yelled the Yakuza viciously, his lip curled like a snarling wolf.

Hitomi-san flinched at the tone before turning fearfully towards the van again. Shinta could see the barely controlled fear dance in her dark eyes as told all the orphans in a low voice to go out side and not panic.

Shinta, being at the back of the van, was the last one out the side door so he was in the back and safest from the criminals. He noticed Sakura stand protectively in front of him, holding his tiny hand tightly.

"Now," the man said in an impatient voice. "We want everything that's worth anything. Hand it all over."

Cautiously, her voice trebling slightly, Hitomi-san said, "B-but Otoko-san, we are from an orphanage. We don't have anything that could..."

BANG! The man pulled the trigger and the woman's body fell forward bonelessly. A bunch of the orphans screamed in terror as blood began to puddle around the dead woman's corpse. Shinta couldn't scream – he couldn't even move. His wide eyes could only stare in horror at the body. By that point, everything seemed surreal to him, as if it was some awful dream that he would wake from. He could not believe what was happening. His mind couldn't seem to grasp what his eyes were seeing. People don't just come out of nowhere and shoot people. People don't just shoot someone as nice and kind as Hitomi-san, just because she told the truth, he thought.

"Who is the oldest?" Growled the leader, while the others pointed their guns at the menacingly. Shinta could hear some of the younger ones sobbing hysterically.

One of the boys named Akio– a tall lad with curly black hair and wide, dark brown eyes – answered, "I-I am."

"Okay, if we don't get anything in the next 30 seconds than all of you die," someone screamed, but the man's eyes were merciless. All the orphans desperately looked around for something of any value.

"W-Would you like some gr-groceries?" Squeaked Kasumi fearfully. The man's eyes narrowed while some of the other bandits laughed outright.

"No," he replied harshly. "We need something worth a lot of money."

"B-but Otoko-san, we just don't have anything valuable," Akio said, flinching as all of the guns were raised at him.

"Then, you are of no use to us," And then, gunshots were everywhere. The people that Shinta had known ever since he became an orphan fell like rag-dolls around him, blood splattered the van and road, and screams raised like a blood-curdling anthem. He saw one of the guns raised at him. Shinta did not move, his legs frozen with fright. He knew he was going to die, but he could not move. However, just as the shot was fired, a shadow blocked the path. Shinta stared in horror as Kasumi fell, something wet and warm splattering his face. She had taken the bullets meant for him - taken his death.

"Shinta, you gotta live," Kasumi gasped. "D-Don't give up." And with those words and one final smile, Kasumi fell still. Shinta's eyes widened. Kasumi couldn't die. She was Kasumi. She was supposed to always be there, teasing him, smiling at him. She couldn't die.

"No!" someone cried out. And then, Akane was the one in front of him. "Shinta, run," Akane said softly. She coughed blood, and just like Kasumi, she fell to the ground, never to get up again. He couldn't believe it. How had this happened? This was his first trip to the zoo. Bad things weren't supposed to happen today. Today was an exciting day. When had it become like this? How had it changed so much?

Looking around, Shinta saw he was one of the only three left alive. BANG! He was one of the only two left alive. Suddenly, Sakura threw herself at the men's knees, crystal tears falling down her smooth, tan cheeks.

"Please!" She begged "Please, don't kill Shinta-chan. He's only a child! Please, spare him"

"Get off me, bitch!" screamed the man and kicked out at her, but she hung on tightly to his legs, refusing to let go.

"You can kill me, but please, not Shinta! Take me instead, but let him go! Please! Plea-" But the man shot her and she fell, tears mixing with dark blood. Guns pointed to Shinta. He was going to die. He screwed up his eyes, a lone tear trickled out of the corner of his eyes.

"AAAHH!"

Shinta's eyes snapped open to the cry of pain. There, in the middle of the bandits was a newcomer. He was huge, easily three times as tall as Shinta. He was holding a sword, covered in the blood of the first bandit. Then he vanished like a summer mirage, only to reappear five feet away cutting through another bandit with his katana. This went on for 10 seconds at most. The bandits were helpless. They screamed and begged, but the man was as deaf as they had been to Sakura's screams. Soon they were all dead, their corpses littering the road. The man turned to Shinta, who flinched slightly.

"You were lucky, boy," the swordsman told the stunned Shinta. "I've avenged you're family's death for you." Shinta was still too numb from the shock to reply. The giant-man sighed. "There is a small village over there," He pointed toward the trees to the left of the blood-splattered van. "Just walk straight that way and tell them that I sent you there. They will give you shelter and food." The man turned and departed the way he pointed.

Shinta didn't move for what seemed like hours. And then, as if the sunset was some kind of signal Shinta started to work. He worked long and hard. He needed to give each of the bodies a proper burial in the forest. The road floor was much too hard to penetrate. Bodies were just bodies; corpses were just corpses.

He had no crosses or gravestones to mark the makeshift graves, so he had to make some himself. Using his hands, Kenshin broke some fallen branches into small sticks, and found string and tape in the van to tie them together. He worked through the night. It seemed that he had no other purpose than to bury the bodies. Even hunger didn't stop him. All he could think of was to lay the bodies to rest. And then he came upon Kasumi, Akane and Sakura's bodies. He knew that they deserve something better than just a shabby homemade cross. He put extra effort into making their crosses and then tried to find flowers in the forest. He searched from dawn until noon and could find nothing better than a pair of dandelions and a bluebell. Having nothing else, he had to settle for that.

Once Shinta was done, he had no idea what else to do. He just stood there for an hour, looking at the graves, numb. And then, when he was looking at the sunset, his hands wrapped round his knees, drawn up to his chin, he heard a gasp behind him. Looking back, he saw the swordsman from before standing there with a bottle of sake. His dark eyes wide.

"You made graves for both your family and the bandits?" he asked in admiration, walking up beside Shinta. He should have been frightened. He had seen this man move with the speed of a god, seen him kill dozens of bandits in seconds. And yet…

"They weren't my real family. They died over 2 years ago. They were my family at the orphanage, though. And it doesn't matter if they're bandits or family or anyone else, when there is no life in it, its just a shell," Shinta whispered.

"And who are these?" The man nodded towards the three graves

Shinta looked too. "Kasumi… Akane… and Sakura" he pointed to each grave in turn. "They saved me, and now they... I wanted to give them something special, but all I could do was make better crosses and give them a flower."

The swordsman poured his sake over the graves. "It is a shame to not know good sake. I am giving what I can."

"Um… thank...you?" Shinta said in a surprised voice.

The swordsman grunted in acknowledgement. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm Hiko Seijuro, one of the few remaining swordsman of this age, master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style. What's your name, kid?"

"Shinta, sir"

"Shinta?" Hiko repeated. "That's much too soft for sword arts. From now on, your name will be Kenshin."

"Ken...shin…."

-End Flashback-

If it hadn't been for them, he would never have survived to see Hiko, or be saved by him. Sure, he could be an annoyingly arrogant, pompous ass of a jerk with an ego the size of Alaska, but Hiko Seijuro was the best father he could ask for, under the circumstances. Kenshin bowed respectfully and picked up his groceries again. He looked back at the graves. "I'll see you soon, 'kay?"

As he turned back up towards the mountain, little did he know an owl was watching him, Hiko's letter attached to its leg. With a flutter of silent wings, the owl took off into the evening sky.

_To be continued…_

Chosha's Notes

Woah! That went better than I expected!

I few notes on the story so far. This takes place not in the RK timeline, but in the timeline of HP, book one – this chapter is set about a year before. As I wrote this, I've come up with an interesting plot for the Kenshin-gumi. I can't follow Kenshin's story properly, or we wouldn't hear from Battosai until book four! (Yes, I am planning to do all the books, mina!) But I've got a plan now!

Please review!

Next time on _RuroKen and the Philosopher's Stone_:

Hiko receives proof that magic really exists, but how will he deal with the fact Kenshin might be a wizard? Find out next time on chapter two: _Professor and Master._

Mata Aimasho, Minna! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	2. Chapter 2

Chosha's Notes

Konnichiwa minna! Welcome back to RuroKen and the philosopher's stone! I'm really getting into this one, and this is while I'm also still doing Fading Futures. I want to thank o.0 for the review. In answer, I am thinking of doing all the books. I have to in getting the story straight. I just hope I don't beat JK Rowling to the last book, or I'll have to make it up! (Heh!) Anyway, thank you also to everyone reading this. Just please review! I don't know how this'll come out and I really would appreciate the help! Hope you like this one!

Disclaimer: As we all know, I own zilch of RuroKen or Harry Potter. I don't even own halfa this plot!

Tanoshimimas! (Enjoy!)

Chapter Two

Professor and Master

It was several weeks until Hiko received his answer and he had almost given it up as an annoying prank. So it was a bit of a surprise when, while watching Kenshin go through the Kata of the Hiten Mitsurugi ryu several meters away from Hiko's cabin, another owl flew past his face and landed on the porch. He blinked, then, as inconspicuously as he could, moved towards the owl and took the letter from its leg. His name was written in the same style, ink and all, sealed with purple wax with the same curious symbol. Splitting the seal, he pulled out the letter and glanced down the page. It was a smaller letter and much less formal than the first, though it was written in the same hand.

_Dear Mr. Hiko, (It said)_

_If you would, at midnight on the 16th of February, be sitting beside a lit fire alone, I will gladly provide the proof you require as to the existence of magic. Could you make sure that Mr Shinta Himura is not present at that time, however, as it is not the time for him to know._

_I look forward to seeing you soon,_

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore (Headmaster)_

Hiko glanced at the calendar stuck haphazardly near to the door. February 16th was tomorrow.

Hiko sat silently in the small living room staring into the fire that crackled merrily in the hearth. It was close to midnight, if Hiko correctly figured it from the stars twinkling softly through the window. Except for a wolf that howled mysteriously somewhere in the mountains, all was silent, even the trees were still with no breeze rushing through them. Somewhere close by, Hiko could hear the soft, even breathing of someone deeply asleep. He glanced round to look at his apprentice laying exhausted on his futon. The bangs of his soft red hair lay over his face, just scraping the top of his brows, His closed eyes shadowed with fatigue, his mouth slightly open. Kenshin was utterly relaxed, spent after the most laborious day Hiko had ever put him through.

Hiko smiled. He sort of felt sorry for the boy. He guessed he could have sent him to town to do something, or even send him on a survival trip, but he thought that a hard day of training would be enough to have him out like a light… plus the fact that he had managed to trick him into drinking some sake too, but that was beside the point. Of course, Kenshin wasn't going to be too pleased when he wakes up the next day.

Hiko pulled his eyes away from the sleeping boy and returned his eyes to the letter in his hands, re-reading the emerald script once more. He wasn't sure whether to feel sceptical or uneasy at the prospect of having some sort of show of magic. What was this 'Dumbledore' character going to do, show him a card trick or something? Perhaps it was a mistake to answer the man's first letter, but…

Before Hiko could develop on that thought, something happened that would change his life forever. The fire began to hiss and spit and burst into life as if someone had thrown something flammable on top. It jumped so high, Hiko was afraid it would burn the place down. The warm orange glow disappeared, turning into an emerald green that danced like fireflies. Hiko jumped up as he felt a flash of ki and moved his hand towards the hilt of his sword in case of an attack. His eyes widened as, from out of the flames emerged the strangest looking man he had ever seen.

The man was quite tall, almost as tall as Hiko, with long silvery-white hair and a beard that was tucked neatly into his belt. He wore the strangest looking clothes he had ever seen, similar to that of Merlin out of the old western legends, which swept the ground over his high-heeled, buckled boots. Intelligent electric-blue eyes sparkled behind half moon glasses and his nose was long and crooked, as if it had been broken at least twice. As he stepped out of the hearth, the fire made a whooshing noise and became its normal size and colour.

"Well, thank you for doing as I asked." Said the man in slightly clumsy Japanese "I was worried that, after all the arrangements I made with the ministry of magic that you would have forgotten." He looked over Hiko, who had quickly hidden his shock, and smiled with a bow.

"You would be, Dumbledore-san, yes?" the man nodded

"Would it be possible to speak in English? I'm afraid my Japanese skills are lacking"

'Sure,' Hiko answered immediately in English. Dumbledore smiled in thanks and sat down on the extra cushion usually used by Kenshin. Hiko sat down too, but kept his hand close to his katana. The man had a strange ki that he had never felt before. Not that it felt dangerous, but it was better safe than sorry. Perhaps this was the ki of magic...

'I'm afraid I don't really have much time here, Mr Hiko, so lets talk about business, yes?'

'Why don't we start, with how you found out about my apprentice.'

If Dumbledore was surprised by Hiko's forwardness, he didn't show it. Placing the tips of his fingers together, resting his chin on top, Dumbledore said 'Just as you have your own government, We of the magical world have a government as well – the ministry of magic. When a magical child is born, the ministry tells the magical schools who and where they are. The ministry keeps track of all magic.'

'And how is it that you think he has Magic' Hiko asked seriously.

Dumbledore looked him in the eye and said. 'Has he ever done anything mysterious, something he could not explain?'

Hiko thought for a moment. Now that the man mentioned it… there was that time that half of his pottery collection vanished without a trace, and Kenshin swore it wasn't him, but couldn't explain how it had vanished. Then there was the time that a wolf chased Kenshin, or so he said, and found himself up a tree with no memory of how he got there…

Dumbledore smiled as he saw the realisation dawn on his face. He glanced over to Kenshin, still asleep and oblivious to the convocation around him. 'And, this would be Shinta?'

Hiko looked too. 'I changed his name to 'Kenshin' when I found him' he said quietly

' "Heart of the sword". Quite appropriate,' he nodded, as if he already knew the reasons. Dumbledore looked back to Hiko. 'I am guessing you have had sufficient proof that magic exists?' he gestured towards the now normal fire. At Hiko's grunt, Dumbledore continued. 'Hogwarts teaches students how to use magic with responsibility, similar to the way you teach swordsmanship. If you would allow Shi-Kenshin to attend, then we will also provide transport via Portkey to London to pick up supplies and to go to Hogwarts.'

'Hogwarts is in London?'

'Well, you get there from London, yes' he answered 'of course, we will also provide a guide for you while you are in London as well.' Dumbledore fished inside his robes and brought out another letter in his writing. 'I'm afraid I don't have the time to fully explain the circumstances in person, but I have written instructions for what to do when the time comes for Mr Himura to attend.' He passed the letter to Hiko, who, after a moment's hesitation took it. 'I hope you will allow him to attend'

Hiko thought about this for a moment before smiling. Dumbledore's ki was truthful and honest. 'Well, if it will prevent my lovely life of solitude from being disrupted, then I guess he can go'

Dumbledore laughed at the answer and stood up once more. Hiko was surprised at how such a thin-looking old man could still move with the fluidity of a man half his age. Hiko stood as well. 'I must be going now,' Dumbledore said 'Hogwarts won't run itself'

The man reached into his robes once more and brought out a strange pouch made of dark blue velvet, decorated with a golden ridge and Silver and gold stars. Dumbledore opened the neck of the pouch and slipped his hand inside, drawing out strange powder. It looked similar to ordinary sand, except for the fact that, when the wizard turned towards the fire, it glistened the colour of the rainbow. Before Hiko could ask what he was going to do or raise a word in protest, Dumbledore threw it into the fire. The fire swallowed the sand and turned emerald again.

Dumbledore turned back to Hiko and shook his hand. 'It has been a pleasure to meet a muggle such as yourself, Mr Hiko. Very few would take magic like this as easily as you have. I hope to see you again one day. Good-evening to you.' He bowed and walked into the flames. As Hiko watched, torn between amazement and amusement, Dumbledore said, loudly and clearly 'Hogwarts', before the green fire swallowed him up and he vanished. Hiko watched dumbstruck as the flames once more turned orange. It was as if the man had never been, except for the yellowish envelope now clutched in Hiko's hand.

Suddenly, Hiko swore. He forgot to ask what a muggle was.

To be continued…

Chosha's Notes

Sorry for the small chapter. This was more a bridge to Kenshin discovering he is going to learn magic. Still, I thought I'd let Hiko get a look in, seeing as he wont be present for most of the fic – sorry Hiko fans! Anyway, please **review** and tell me what you think.

Next time on _RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone_:

Kenshin gets a shock when Hiko gets round to telling him the big secret, but Kenshin's a little sceptical. Is Hiko just playing a prank, or is it really true? Find out on chapter three: _Kenshin's discovery_

Mata Aimasho, Minna! See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Chosha's Notes:

Yay! Welcome back to RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone, chapter three! I'm really having fun with this and my two reviewers, you know who you are – Lily of the Shadows and Crazy Hyper Lady (cool names by the way) – are really encouraging me to carry on, so thank you, arigato! So, enough of my ramblings - Lets get on with it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, zilch, nowt, zip! They belong to Watsuki-sama and JK Rowling.

Last time on _RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone_:

Hiko finally receives his proof magic exists. Now time is passing and the impending letter is just about to arrive…

Chapter Three

Kenshin's discovery

Spring came and went, and, for Kenshin at least, time moved relatively quickly. Before he knew it, a whole year had passed. Kenshin had not changed very much in that time – he had grown a few inches taller perhaps. Also his ruby-red hair was longer now, his bangs scraping his eyes, which Kenshin found perfect when he didn't want to show what he was feeling through his eyes, or so he could look at something without seeming to. His body was still that of a child's, but it was also quite toned from learning the Hiten Mitsurugi ryu. He had grown faster too and Hiko had started to teach Kenshin how to sense the 'Ki', or 'life force' of people to predict movement as well. One thing that hadn't changed though was-

"Baka Deshi"

Kenshin sighed. Perhaps it would have been easier to just to rename him that instead of Kenshin when his master had found him. "Hai, Shishou?" he asked looking up from cleaning his new katana into the face of the gigantic man who had just walked out of his cottage.

Hiko smirked and said, "It's time to test you again"

"In Language?"

Hiko looked amused and chuckled darkly. "Well now, not a bad idea. We'll do that after a spar"

Kenshin winced. He could almost feel his side twinge at the prospect of another one-side match. "Must we…" he grumbled, but Hiko just watched him in amusement. Baka Shishou. Well, no getting out of it, he thought resignedly. If living with Hiko for the last four years had taught him anything, it was that Hiko never let him off after condemning him to a spar. It was by some miracle that out of all the one-sided fights they'd had so far, not one of them had _killed_ Kenshin yet.

Kenshin reluctantly settled down his cleaning equipment and, very slowly, stood up from the log by the open fire and straightened his white training gi and pale blue hakama, hoping to lengthen the time when he wasn't going to feel bruised and battered. Finally, so Hiko wouldn't start sparing with him before he was ready (and lose whatever little advantage he might have if he _was_ ready). He settled into Battojutsu stance, waiting for his master to make the first move.

For a while they waited, watching each other through narrowed eyes. If anyone had walked into the clearing just then, a strange sight would have met them. Firstly there was Hiko Seijuro - nearly 7-feet-tall, with long onyx-black hair, wearing an impressive and expensive mantle, as muscular as a human can be without sacrificing any speed, and obsidian eyes with a condescending look concealing a look of parental pride. Even more surprising was that he was facing Himura Kenshin - little more than 4-feet-tall or so, with longish ruby-red hair, wearing plain training gi and hakama, rather scrawny looking, and violet eyes with a humble yet determined gaze. Both stood in stances that made them look like ancient samurai going into battle.

Kenshin saw Hiko's eyes flash and, with a burst of inhuman speed, darted forward. Kenshin ducked his first stroke as he spun and drew out his sword with lightning speed from his sheath. If he had been facing anyone else, Kenshin would have taken his opponents legs off right then and there. However, Hiko was anything but ordinary. As Kenshin attacked, Hiko jumped into the air. Kenshin recognised the Ryutsuisen and dodged at the last moment. Hiko landed as lightly as a bird. Kenshin positioned himself and darted in once more, dodging as Hiko made a cut towards his neck, grazing the skin. Kenshin made to do an upstroke, but Hiko blocked it with bone-jarring strength, sending him scooting backwards. Kenshin was on the defensive again, ducking and dodging multiple attacks. Kenshin used the Doryusen, then jumped, hoping his less powerful attack would distract Hiko long enough. Kenshin brought his sword down, but Hiko's katana rose to meet it. With a shove, Kenshin sprawled across the ground and Hiko immediately had his sword by his neck.

_Dammit_, Kenshin berated himself. _He got me again…_

Meanwhile, Hiko was secretly impressed. In the years he had taught Kenshin – almost five years now – he had grown much stronger. Soon he would have to use his full strength with him at all times. As well as that, he was learning to combine attacks. However, he wasn't exactly going to tell him that…

"We've been training for three months already and you still are too incompetent at hiding your ki, my Baka Deshi,' Hiko sighed with mock disappointment, allowing Kenshin to sit up and rub his grazed neck.

"Shishou, are you saying I should be able to completely hide my ki from someone as experienced as you?" Kenshin asked.

"I'm saying that I should not be able to predict which direction you will be moving in so easily," Hiko countered. Fluently, he switched into English. 'Now, what about this Language test?'

'Um, y...yes, master?' asked Kenshin, momentarily stumbling over the transition from Japanese to English.

'I think the best test we will ever get should be arriving _very_ soon'

"Huh?" replied a bemused Kenshin.

'Ah, there it is,' said Hiko, looking up at the sky. Kenshin looked up too but could not see anything. He squinted, a hand shading his eyes from the low sun. _Wait, what is that?_ Kenshin mused as he spotted something in the sky he had overlooked: a dot that was getting larger by the second. Soon, he could see that it was in fact not a dot, but some kind of bird. How strange, Kenshin had never seen a bird quite like this one before. It seemed to have a very flat face, and one leg was longer than the other was.

"Nani...?"

Hiko lightly slapped Kenshin on the back of his head, making him stare at the floor. 'Use English, idiot apprentice,' he reprimanded to an abashed reply of 'Yes, Master.' 'It's the language you'll be using for the next year or so.'

'What! Why?' exclaimed Kenshin turning to stare at his teacher. His face however was unreadable to that particular answer.

'Hopefully, anyway - if you behave. And it would help if you didn't wet your bed again like last week,' answered Hiko with a smirk on his face, effectively distracting Kenshin from asking exactly why he would be using English for the next year.

'Master!' shouted Kenshin, whose red face was only partly caused by anger. Kenshin turned away from his master only to be greeted by a flutter of feathers in his face. Jumping back in surprise and just a tiny bit of fright, Kenshin finally realised that the strange bird was actually an owl. But he had never seen such an important looking owl as this one. Everything that Kenshin felt just then was summed up by the single word that stumbled of his mouth.

'ORO?'

' "Oro?" ' Hiko snorted with a raised eyebrow. 'Is that even a word?'

Ignoring his master's comment, Kenshin recovered slightly from his undignified jump of fright. 'Why are you here, Mr. Owl?' he asked the owl politely.

Hiko started slapping his forehead repeatedly at his apprentice's apparent denseness. 'Can't you see the big yellowish letter tied to his leg?' He asked exasperatedly. Taking a closer look, Kenshin saw that there was indeed a letter tied to the owl's outstretched leg beneath its mass of feathers that, somehow, he had missed. The owl hooted with an annoyance that was much too intelligent for Kenshin's mental image of an owl. What's a letter doing on an owl's leg? Kenshin asked himself while reaching down and untying the letter. He saw from the emerald green ink that the letter was clearly meant for him:

_Mr. K. Himura_

_The Cot in the Corner_

_Shack-in-the-Mountains_

_Outskirts of Kyoto_

_Japan_

"Oro?" Kenshin asked softly. From the way his name was written, it was clearly from someone in the western countries, not someone from Japan using English. _But who would want to write to me? Who would even know that I'm alive after what happened 5 years ago? It was in that newspaper Hiko had brought from town the day after he found me – the Japanese government had_ _listed everyone on that van as dead._ _That was only newspaper Shishou has ever brought home._

"But... Shishou," Kenshin said quietly in a semi-stunned voice, unconsciously switching to Japanese, while still staring at the letter. "I thought the government listed me as dead."

"The Japanese government perhaps." Hiko replied. "There was, however, another government that had... more accurate ways to gather information."

"But what 'other government', Shishou?"

"Just read it yourself, My Baka Deshi," Hiko answered. "It's how I found out."

"Oro?" Kenshin said confused. When Hiko did not elaborate, he decided he would just have to read the letter. Kenshin turned the envelope over and found a violet wax seal with a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large 'H'. With a strange feeling - as if his next action would change his whole life- Kenshin broke the seal with trembling fingers. Pulling out one of the three letters, he started to read.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL_

_Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, _

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Himura,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

Deputy Headmistress 

A thousand questions burst in his head like fireworks, but faded almost instantly. Kenshin looked up at his master. "This is a cruel trick, Shishou," he said in a low voice.

"Eh?" was the very confused reply. Hiko glanced down at his apprentice. Kenshin looked up at him with downhearted eyes

"Though trying to get poor, neglected victim to think he will finally be rid of the arrogant, horrible slave driver and then ripping that hope away is a bit of a cliché, Ne?" Kenshin said in a disappointed tone.

"Once again, my Baka Deshi proves to the world how he earned his nickname," Hiko sighed, shaking his head. "This, Kenshin," Hiko said dramatically prodding the letter in his hands, "is no trick."

Silence

"You really expect me to believe that?" Kenshin whispered.

"Yes, I do."

"And you call _me_ the Baka?" Kenshin remarked incredulously.

"Well I can't be expected to call myself an idiot," Hiko said irritably. "And as anyone would tell you, I am most definitely _not_ an idiot," he added haughtily.

The boy sweat-dropped_. So arrogant_, Kenshin thought, shaking his head.

"And anyway," Hiko said. "How do you explain the disappearing pottery last year?"

"I bet you threw it away yourself, just to trick me," Kenshin yelled accusingly. "And since when has magic been real?" Kenshin added realising that he had, for a moment, actually believed that magic existed.

"That's just the point," Hiko explained. "Don't you think that if I was going to trick you, I would have conceived a much better and more plausible plan with my intellect?"

"Reverse psychology won't work on me," Kenshin pointed out darkly. "Don't think I've forgotten last year when you got me drunk."

Hiko smirked. "Well, if you had just told me why you were spending more and more time in buying my sake, I wouldn't have been forced to take such drastic measures as to waste my sake on you," Hiko replied to an outraged shout of "I was underage!" "And while we're on that subject, exactly when will I be meeting this girl - Miya, wasn't it?" Hiko added.

"Shishou!" Kenshin shouted, now totally oblivious to the letter he was still holding, his face flushing a colour that rivalled his hair. "We were just talking!"

Hiko grinned, thoroughly enjoying the way this conversation was going. "From the way you were talking (and after drinking only one bottle – you really need to learn how to handle your sake), I could guess that you would have wanted to do something other than talking to her," Hiko said smugly in a sing-song voice. "Something that starts with a 'K' and rhymes with 'pi..."

"Shishou!" Kenshin yelled again, now sounding thoroughly offended, bristling where he stood, fists clenched. "We are getting away from the subject!"

"Don't worry about it, Baka Deshi," Hiko said sympathetically, patting Kenshin on the head with a large hand. "Though I have never been in your plight, I understand that you are not alone in being a boy who has experienced their first love rejecting him."

"I would never, ever think about being so forward with a girl I barely even knew!" Kenshin desperately tried to convince Hiko. "Whatever I said back then must have completely been the sake talking."

"Whatever, we're off the subject now, Baka Deshi."

_I just said that!_ Kenshin grumbled in his head.

'And from now on, you will be using English only with no exceptions.'

'Oops,' Kenshin bashfully remarked, just realising he had been using Japanese throughout the entire convocation.

'Good,' Hiko said. 'Now, you will have to send back your reply; the owl is getting impatient and seeing as he's the only one we have, we better send the reply back with him.'

'You still think you can trick me?' Kenshin bristled

_Here we go again…_ 'No, because this is not a trick,' an annoyed Hiko said. 'If you need proof, send your reply back saying that you accept, and then come with me to get your supplies.'

'Oro? Supplies?' Kenshin asked. The concept of needing supplies had escaped Kenshin so far. 'Where are we going to get supplies?'

'Good, good, you're finally believing me,' Hiko smirked at Kenshin. 'And to answer your question, we will get them somewhere in London, where we will meet a guide because apparently, I cannot see where we will be going.' Hiko said the last part with a small scowl, as if the idea of him not being able to see something irritated him.

'Um…did you go to this school, Shishou?' Kenshin asked suspiciously, still sceptical on the idea that there was a school of magic or magic full stop.

'No. It seems I am something called a 'muggle' because I am unable to do magic tricks,' Hiko replied once again with a small scowl.

'Then how do you know all this?' Kenshin probed, looking for a weakness in his master's story.

'You never give up do you,' Hiko sighed. 'Well, I also received a letter, though it was quite a while ago – last year in fact. Right now, I'll keep the summary brief. In short, it said I had adopted a magical child and since all the magic schools in our vicinity require a child to begin being taught within a year of his or her birth, Albus Dumbledore would allow you to attend his school.'

'Albus-who...?'

'The headmaster of Hogwarts,' Hiko began to drum his fist lightly on the boy's head 'pay more attention to your letters.'

'Oh, yeah,' Kenshin said once he avoided his master's fist, embarrassed by his own ignorance. 'Wait, you said this school was somewhere in London?' Kenshin questioned, something beginning to dawn upon him.

'Actually, I don't know exactly where it is, but we get there from London, yes.'

'Then exactly how are we supposed to get there?' Kenshin asked.

'Well, if we start now, we could probably sprint there in less than four months,' Hiko said smirking with amusement as Kenshin's mouth dropped.

'W-wha...?' Kenshin spluttered. _We're going there b_y foot

'Relax, idiot apprentice, I'm just joking,' Hiko said, laughing. Kenshin looked at him with a mixture of relieved at not going on foot and outraged at being tricked again. 'No, we're taking something called a "Portkey" in July, plenty of time to do some more training on your ki sensing, eh?'

'What do you mean by more... OW!' A pain in his shin interrupted Kenshin. Looking down, it seemed that the Hogwarts owl had finally lost his patience and started pecking Kenshin's leg. 'Ok, Ok, I'll reply right now!' Kenshin yelled trying to waft the tawny owl from his shin. 'Just please stop pecking me!'

Finding this an acceptable answer from the boy, the owl stopped so Kenshin could write the reply using a biro Hiko passed to him. Sighing, Kenshin bent down to tie the note, which said that he did accept, onto the owl's leg and said, 'Sorry Mr. Owl, it's just that this is such a big shock to me.' The owl gave Kenshin what looked like an understanding nod and then flew away into the sunset.

'Like I said, training begins tomorrow,' Hiko, who had been very amused while watching the scene, said. Turning away to go back inside the shack he added 'Get some sleep, it's getting late.'

Kenshin obediently replied, 'Yes, Master.' Following Hiko, Kenshin went inside the small hut. He was still full of questions that zipped through his head, making sleep impossible. But for now, he was convinced of three things: that there was magic in this world, that there was a school that taught people about magic, and that he was going to that school.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes:

Nothing much I can think to say on this. But I finally got Kenshin convinced he off to Hogwarts (stubborn baka…) Poor guy's gonna get his first taste of magic soon too. You can just see him oroing now! Anyway, I would love it if you guys could review and tell me what you think of it all, or if you've got any questions.

Next time on RuroKen and the philosopher's stone:

Kenshin is getting ready for when he's got to go to Hogwarts. But how on earth is he going to get to London on time! Find out next episode: The Portkey

Ja ne for now! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	4. Chapter 4

Chosha's Notes: 

Konnichiwa minna! Welcome back to _RuroKen and the Philosopher's_ _stone_. I want to thank Crazy Hyper Lady for her review. I'm glad you liked the last one. And on the demands of Blah, who merely reviewed to say 'UPDATE NOW!' I have done as asked. I can't disappoint someone who obviously likes this! So here you are – a new chappy update! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: all rights belong to Watsuke-sama and JK Rowling, who are probably earning millions for their genius. I, CK, own nothing.

Last time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Kenshin got a shock as a letter arrived by owl, when Kenshin has been thought dead for five years, telling him he is accepted into Hogwarts. Kenshin is doubtful, but Hiko isn't lying (for once)…

Chapter Four 

The Portkey

A few months had passed since Kenshin found out he was a wizard and that he would be going to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. But Kenshin wasn't thinking about the trip to the school just yet. It was almost noon outside, the sun high and warm in the summer sun of mid-June. However, neither Kenshin nor Hiko could be found outside. Kenshin watched as his master rummaged through a pile of letters in such a way that they fluttered to the floor in a snowstorm. Kenshin watched the comical scene as Hiko delved deeper into the stack of letters; afraid his master had completely lost it.

"Now where is it?" muttered Hiko as he disappeared amongst the white paper storm.

"Um…why do you have so many letters, Shishou?' Kenshin, who was standing right behind Hiko while trying to read one of the hundreds of letters his master was shuffling through, asked curiously. Nothing much had changed about the redhead's appearance over the months since the letter came, other than that his hair had become slightly longer and now needed tying back in a small fox-like ponytail. Without warning, Hiko threw a crumpled up letter at his apprentice's face with some force. Seeing the ball of paper as if it were moving through jelly, Kenshin kept his eyes on it and moved his head out of the way when the paper was mere millimetres away.

Hiko saw his dodge and nodded respectfully (so Kenshin couldn't see, of course). His apprentice had improved quite quickly in Ki reading. As he turned back to the letters he said smugly "I haven't always been a hermit, you know. Do you think someone who looked as good as I did wouldn't get any letters from girls?" He smirked. "And seeing as you have obviously got better than using paper balls, perhaps I should start using rocks again, ne?"

"B-but...those hurt, especially since you throw them,' Kenshin whinged slightly as he winced at the prospect, thinking of the bruises he got before Hiko decided that rocks were to be saved for the time when Kenshin was faster.

"Yeah, that might not be a good idea…yet,' Hiko relented. 'Ah, here it is,' Hiko said triumphantly, finally finding what he was looking for.

"Oro? What's it?' asked Kenshin, glancing over Hiko's shoulder. He was holding an envelope similar to the one Kenshin received several months ago made out of yellowing parchment. Hiko's name, written in the western way, was in an extravagant hand, composed in emerald green ink

"This, Baka Deshi, is the letter telling us how we're getting to London," Hiko answered, shrugging Kenshin away from his shoulder. Kenshin stepped back a little to let Hiko stand again.

"Oh, yeah," Kenshin said, remembering that his school supplies were going to be bought in London. 'So, how exactly is this 'Porki' going to get us to London, shishou?"

"One, it's called a 'Portkey'; two, I'm not exactly sure how it works," Hiko said reading over the letter. "It says we just touch it and we'll be whisked away to someplace in London."

Kenshin took a moment to contemplate the concept. "Well," Kenshin said after a minute with a small smile. "If it works, I guess I'll just have to believe that magic exists. So, how come you believe in magic, Shishou? Did you get any proof?" Kenshin added inquisitively.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Hiko said.

After waiting almost ten minutes while his master kept reading the rather long letter and still not getting a better answer than that, Kenshin decided to expand on his question. "Ano...so, exactly what kind of proof did you get, Shishou?"

Without looking up from his letter, Hiko replied "I received this letter a few months after I received one from the same sender, Albus Dumbledore. As you can imagine, when I read the letter that was tied to an owl's leg, I was every bit as sceptical as you are right now about this whole magic business. But this letter told me that if your powers were left untrained, as strong as they are, they wouldn't just go away. They would probably become more powerful, and without the training, you would have no control over them and probably cause a lot of trouble for me, thus ruining the quiet life of solitude I had. I wouldn't want to take any chances with that would I, so I wrote back to him saying I wanted some kind of proof. A few weeks or so later, he sent another letter saying that he would pay me a visit at a certain time that would convince me if I just stayed inside my cabin warming up to the fire in the fireplace. I ran you ragged with your training and tricked you with the sake, remember? So you would be asleep when it was time for him to arrive," Hiko seemed to have finished reading his letter then and looked up at Kenshin with a grin

"I knew you were up to something!" Kenshin blurted out angrily, remembering that day that he had made him do the most ridiculously impossible tasks, then got him drunk on Sake.

"Yeah, well, while you were asleep, I was sitting in front of the fireplace, re-reading the letter, waiting for something unusual to happen," Hiko began again. "I wasn't disappointed. Sure enough, at the exact time Dumbledore said in his letter, the fire became green. Even stranger was that a man – a very old man judging from his hair and beard – stepped out of the fire. Though I was not stricken with awe or fear as a lesser man would be, I was absolutely convinced of the existence of magic in this world. Dumbledore wasted no time - said he had pulled a few strings and called in quite a few favours to be here and couldn't stay long – So he gave me a letter, this letter I'm holding now, the exact instructions we would have to follow to get to where we're going."

"Ano..." said Kenshin, who had been lost ever since the part when the fire turned green. "Can you... repeat everything you said since the green fire part, Shishou?"

Hiko sighed. "A... man... named... Dumbledore... stepped... out... of..."

"Not like that, shishou. Please, just repeat it."

"Alright, a man named Albus Dumbledore - who is your headmaster I think - stepped out of the green fire. He only had a limited time to be here so he gave me our instructions in here," Hiko said, holding out the letter. "And then he left."

Kenshin fell silent as he thought about this and realised something strange about the whole thing. "Why is it so important that I go to Hogwarts when I haven't shown any magical talent, Shishou? I mean, I'm not psychic or anything"

As if he was expecting this question, Hiko immediately answered, "You did do something magical. Last year, the pottery I accused you of throwing away, you made it disappear magically,"

Any other time, Kenshin would have loudly objected at his master for blaming him for something Hiko had known wasn't his fault all along, but this time, something still was bothering him about the whole thing. Something that just didn't seem to add up.

"So when did Dumbledore - I mean, _Professor_ Dumbledore - visit you, Shishou?" Kenshin asked quietly, looking up at his master through red bangs for his reaction.

"Last year."

"No, I mean the date. Which month did he come?"

"February 14th, why?" Hiko eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"But, isn't that during the school term?"

If he hadn't been looking for some sort of retain, Kenshin would have missed the small flicker of hesitation flash across Hiko's eyes before he answered, "Yes."

"So why would Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, leave school just so he could convince you to let me go to school? Was the job somehow too important to entrust to someone else, Shishou?" Kenshin asked, still watching his teacher.

This time however, Hiko's eyes were stony and gave nothing away. Damn! "You're being paranoid, Baka Deshi. Why would convincing me to let you go to his school be too important for anyone else? He probably had a little free time and wanted something to do." Then, Hiko smirked, With an air of arrogance said, "Of course, ensuring that my quiet life went without interruptions is very important indeed. Maybe it was too big of a job to leave to someone else."

Kenshin decided to stop interrogating him before he started blowing his ego out of proportion, thinking he would get nothing else out of it – except perhaps a headache. "Hai, Shishou," Kenshin said wearily.

"It's getting late, Baka Deshi," Hiko declared. "Don't you want to know what we're supposed to do before we have to do it?"

"Hai, Shishou," replied Kenshin, sitting up attentively. He had forgotten about the Portkey. "So, how exactly do we use a Portkey?"

Hiko pointed at the letter still in his hand and said, "It says here that we have to find it before noon on June 21st, which is tomorrow. It will be an old trainer with no laces. We should find it right out next to an oak tree in the forest if we..."

"A trainer, Shishou?" Kenshin interrupted incredulously. "How is a trainer with no laces gonna get us to London?"

"It's magic, Baka Deshi," Hiko said reprovingly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's only in the _form_ of a trainer so other people won't touch it at the right time and accidentally go where we were supposed to go."

"Ohhh," Kenshin said, realising the logic of the statement. "Gomen. Go on, Shishou'

"Where was I? ...Oh yes, we will find the boot next to an oak tree in a clearing that we will find if we walk straight forward from the front of the cabin…"

_When will you admit that it's a shack and not a cabin?_ Kenshin thought idly.

"…And, if we're touching it by noon, it will take us to London."

"Okay," said Kenshin. After a few minutes of total silence, another thought struck him, "Uh, Shishou, how exactly are we going to get the money to buy my supplies?"

"We can exchange our money for wizard's money," Hiko replied.

"'Do we _have_ any money, Shishou?"

"How do you think I buy my sake, Baka?"

"You sell the pottery you make, Shishou"

Hiko sat back with an air of authority. "That's right, so what's the problem?"

"You haven't sold any pottery ever since I made half your collections disappear, Shishou, but you keep buying sake every week." Kami, he could be so dense sometimes!

"Oh."

Kenshin and Hiko sweat dropped as the looked at each other. Finally:

"Deshi?"

"Hai, Shishou?"

"Go to town and sell the pottery."

"Hai, Shishou."

Kenshin gathered up the pots and sniggered slightly at his master. "And no laughing!" grunted a disgruntled Swords-master. Kenshin laughed outright and sprinted away before Hiko could catch him.

It felt like Kenshin had barely but his head down, but he was about to be in for a rude awakening. "ORO!" Kenshin exclaimed, at once leaping out of bed in response to the ice-cold river water.

"Get up, Baka Deshi," Hiko told Kenshin while he threw another bucket's contents over whatever part of Kenshin the cold water didn't get to yet.

"Ah, Ah, Ah!" Kenshin yelled in response to the scalding water hoping about as if he stood on hot coals. In just a few moments, the different temperatures nullified each other though Kenshin still felt the after-effects tingling through his skin while they walked out of the shack. Glaring at Hiko with looks that could kill, Kenshin growled, "That was unfair, shishou. You could have just yelled at me."

"Oh, but I tried to tell you to wake up, but as my voice was so strangely delicate this morning, I could only manage to get a whisper out," Hiko smirked. Kenshin's look told Hiko exactly what he thought of his "delicate" voice, which served only to amuse Hiko more. Stupid teacher. However, he dropped the subject… for now

'What time is it, Shishou?' Kenshin asked.

"Dunno, before noon I think,' Hiko answered, looking into the sky. Kenshin remembered that Hiko only could tell time by the sun and moon's positions in the sky because he did not own a clock, watch, or any kind of time-teller. Why the heck didn't he just buy one – he got enough money from making pottery. "We'd better get going now if we want to make it in time."

"H-hai" Kenshin said, suppressing a yawn. Vaguely walking toward the direction the shack was facing, Kenshin groggily set out.

"Baka Deshi!" Hiko called out from where he still stood next to the remains of the campfire. "I didn't send you to sell my pottery just so we would forget it!"

"Oh, yeah, Gomen," Kenshin mumbled sleepily. The effects from the water had worn off by now.

"Perhaps I should throw ice on you this time," Hiko said. "Just plain water won't work I see."

Kenshin froze on the spot. Ice? "N-No, Shishou," Kenshin squeaked while he instantly sped up. Within seconds he had got the considerable amount of money he gained last night and was standing next to Hiko. "That won't be necessary. Water works just fine."

Hiko suppressed a chuckle. Perhaps he should use this threat more often. "Don't forget your letter also; your supply list is in there along with the note we're supposed to give our guide in London."

"Okay, Shishou," said Kenshin who sped into the cabin and back again without complaints, not wanting to get ice thrown at him.

"Good, we're ready, Baka Deshi,' Hiko said, when Kenshin handed him the bag of money and the letter. "Let's go."

For about half an hour or so, they walked in silence. And then, Kenshin finally noticed that there was still an extra weight on his side and stopped walking. "Um, Shishou, we still have our swords with us," Kenshin told Hiko.

"And your point is...?' Hiko replied, also stopping to look down at the boy.

"But Shishou, didn't you say that most people don't carry weapons, much less swords, around with them anymore and that its been illegal to carry a katana since the Meiji era?'

"Yes, I seem to remember saying that. What are you trying to say Baka Deshi?"

"Well won't we be a little... erm… _out of place_ with our swords worn in plain view?' Kenshin asked, bewildered at his master's supposed ignorance.

"I thought I taught you to not care about how other people think of you."

"You did, shishou - it was how I survived living with you for so long," Kenshin added in an undertone, before he said. "But, won't the local police try to arrest us?"

"Us?" Hiko repeated in amusement. "They'll probably arrest you. I, on the other hand, have this mantle to hide it within, so the won't even think of arresting me"

"What!" Kenshin yelled "Then what about me!"

Hiko laughed "Don't worry, Baka Deshi. If anyone tries to arrest us, they won't be able to catch us anyway" Kenshin pause.

"Oh"

Hiko slapped his forehead at his apprentice's stupidness this morning

It wasn't long until Master and Apprentice reached the clearing described in Dumbledore's instructions. Sure enough, they found the old trainer hidden among twenty-or-so other old objects including an old boot with a big hole and missing buckles, a patched coat that was beyond use and an old newspaper dated back to 1982. However, there were no other trainers in the pile. Kenshin could only guess that the other stuff was there for extra camouflage. Hiko looked up into through the leafy canopy to try and see the sun's position.

"Looks like we have an hour until noon, give or take a few hours," Hiko said while Kenshin mentally cursed him for not getting an accurate watch. "Of course, if Dumbledore was talking about London time, then we would either be already a day late or a day early. I'm sure he was talking about our local time though, Baka Deshi," he added when he saw Kenshin's very frustrated face.

"Well, Now what?' Kenshin said through grinding teeth to prevent him from saying a few choice words about his master's personality; his patience with his master's jokes was wearing thin.

"I guess we should touch it and wait until we've been transported to London," Hiko said with a shrug. Then he grinned. "If it hasn't whisked us away by the afternoon then we'll just try tomorrow. Maybe my calendar is a little inaccurate."

Kenshin mutter something about what he could do with his 'Inaccurate calendar' before picking up the trainer and called, "Hurry up, Shishou, or we'll be late."

"Always so impatient," Hiko muttered as he too walked over and grabbed one side of the shoe.

As they stood there holding a mangy old trainer in silence as a chill breeze swept through the trees, the apprentice was feeling a little bit awkward. It occurred to Kenshin how odd this would look if an outsider were to walk through the trees and see them just then. A giant of a man in a long white mantle looking as if he had just stepped out of a Samurai Manga and a tiny red haired boy in training gi and hakama, a katana slipped into his obi – both clutching a smelly old trainer – the picture was just laughable.

Finally, Kenshin couldn't stand the deafening silence much longer and opened his mouth to speak with Hiko about what else the letter had stated about their trip to London when something happened that Kenshin would never forget. Kenshin felt a sudden jerk, as if a hook had just lodged itself behind his navel and had pulled irresistibly forwards. He was being lifted up and pulled along at an incredible speed while the hand still on the Portkey felt as if it were glued magnetically. They were speeding faster and faster that colours whirled around them, the wind howling loudly as onward they shot and then-

Bam! His feet slammed with incredible force that it jarred his knees. Gasping, he stumbled and fell on the ground with a thud. "Oro!" However, Hiko, though windswept, remained standing.

Kenshin sat wide-eyed. Though he was expecting it, the sight that greeted him astonished him. He and his master were no longer standing in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Now, they were standing on a large, secluded hill overlooking a very large city. It was late evening now, due to the time zone difference, and also...

'Welcome teh London,' boomed a voice.

Kenshin looked up and gasped.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes:

Well, another Chapter over. I'm sorry for the slightly cliff-hanger ending, but it seemed a good place to stop. So, Kenshin finally has proof of Magic himself. Now the story should be getting interesting. Well be meeting some of the Harry Potter people next time, so I hope you keep reading. Also, please Review. You'll make Chosha-chan really happy! Constructive criticisms also welcome.

Next time on RuroKen _and the Philosopher's stone:_

Who or what met Kenshin and Hiko at the other end of the portkey? Kenshin has more undeniable proof of magic. But what is worrying Hiko so much? Find out next episode, _The Keeper of the Keys_

Ja ne for now!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	5. Chapter 5

Chosha's Note's 

Welcome back minna-san! I've been so happy. My inbox has had at least five reviewers, just for this. (might not be much, but its enough to make me happy!) Thank you so much to Samantha Kaharu Kubota, Wydinel Sheergale, Lily of the Shadow, Crazy Hyper Lady and TheBetanWerecat for you're reviews! Hope you like this next chapter!

Disclaimer: still don't own. Waaaaaaaaaaa…

Last time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Kenshin and Hiko have to get a portkey to London, but who – or what – has met them at the other end…?

Chapter Five 

Keeper of the Keys

Kenshin couldn't help but stare open-mouthed at the stranger who stood waiting in the semi-darkness for Hiko and himself. Nothing in all of his life could have prepared him for this sight.

The person who stood there was easily over seven foot tall – even bigger than his Shishou. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, but you could just make out his eyes that glinted like back beetles under thick, bushy eyebrows. Kenshin couldn't help but think dazedly how a man without bear's blood in him could grow so big!

'...And who are you?' he heard his master ask the other man.

'The name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Dumbledore sent me ter be yer guide.' He held out an enormous hand to them and ended up shaking Kenshin's entire arm. He looked back at Hiko. 'An' yer must be Mr Hiko? Do yer have the letter? I gotta check, see.'

Hiko took out the envelope Kenshin gave him and took out one letter. Briefly unfolding it and looking it over, he handed it to the giant man. Kenshin suddenly realised he was staring at the man and quickly shut his mouth, scrambling to his feet.

'Best be off then. We got lots ter do today an' gotta buy all yer stuff fer school. Follow me'.

Hagrid set off toward the city, which Kenshin assumed was London. Though a big man like Hiko found no trouble in following the giant-man's large strides, Kenshin had to jog to keep up. They weren't silent for long, however, and soon the big man turned round to Kenshin. As Kenshin looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face, he noticed those beetle-black eyes crinkle in a smile.

'An' Yer must be Kenshin.' He said.

'Yes, sir,' he panted as he jogged. The man laughed in a friendly way.

'No need ter call me "sir". Call me Hagrid, everyone does. I guess it was a bit o' a shock when yer got that letter?'

Kenshin felt that he had a friendly ki, even though it was the strangest ki he had ever felt in his life. It seemed to have an almost static quality to it. Was this the ki of a wizard?

'It was a bit,' he admitted.

Hagrid smiled. 'I guess it would be, livin' with muggles'

'Muggles?' Hiko asked. Kenshin remembered how Hiko had told him that he was referred to as a muggle when explaining what was in the letter from Dumbledore. Hagrid glanced back at him.

'It's what we call non-magic folk like yerself'

'Oh,' Kenshin said. This was indeed a strange world he had entered!

As Kenshin and Hiko followed him, they saw that even though it was late, there were still many people out walking around. And also, Kenshin found that the three of them drew many, many curious stares. Not only was Hagrid was a giant of a man – easily twice as tall as the average man – but he kept pointing to perfectly normal things like parking metres or cars and loudly declare 'see that? What these Muggles dream up, eh?' Hiko, of course, was a seven-foot tall Asian man with a huge white cloak on. Kenshin had a white training gi on and light blue hakama. What's more is that Kenshin, in plain view, had a Japanese Katana stuffed through the sash around his waist. The three of them together made a very strange sight indeed. Hagrid seemed oblivious to the stares; Hiko was too preoccupied to notice; however, Kenshin was very uncomfortable.

'I told you we would look out of place, Master,' Kenshin hissed at Hiko.

However, before Hiko could give him his usual aloof reply, Hagrid announced loudly ''ere we are!' coming to a halt 'The leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place,' Kenshin peered around Hagrid's huge form to look.

It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub with a sign that looked rather unstable as is swung over the door. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Kenshin wouldn't have noticed it was there. People hurrying by didn't even give it a glance. Their eyes slid from a Waterstones bookstore to a large Virgin Megastores on the other. Kenshin had a funny feeling that they couldn't even see it. Meanwhile, Hiko didn't look like he was fairing much better.

'Where is it?' Hiko said, looking from side to side, not noticing the pub right in front of his eyes.

'Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that,' Hagrid said apologetically. 'I forgot yer a muggle. You'll have ter lead Mr Hiko inside, Kenshin,' with that said, Hagrid ducked through the door of the tiny pub.

'This way, Master,' Kenshin said bemusedly as he steered his master, not understanding how Hiko could not see the tiny, but rather obvious, building.

'I guess I was unable to see the building since I am not a wizard,' Hiko said when they entered the dark room.

'Oh,' Kenshin said absentmindedly, looking around at the curious surroundings. For such a famous place, it was rather dark and shabby, lit up only by a couple of candles. Despite the lateness of the hour, the pub was still quite busy. A group of women chatted animatedly in a corner, while a man in a slanted bright yellow hat was talking with an old barman who's head looked like some sort of wrinkly walnut. As they came in, everyone stopped talking. Noticing Hagrid, everyone waved of bid hello, while the barman asked in a pleasant voice, 'The usual, Hagrid?'

'Ah, can't yet, Tom. I'm on Hogwarts business.' He patted Kenshin on his head, which made his knees buckle. Hagrid looked around and something caught his eye. 'Oh, professor Quirrell!'

Kenshin followed Hagrid's gaze. A man he had not noticed before – which was rather surprising as he was wearing the largest purple turban Kenshin had ever seen – jumped nervously and spun round to look who was calling. Kenshin noticed his eye was twitching. What a strange reaction.

Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by the odd reaction and said, 'Kenshin, this is one of your teachers from Hogwarts'

'Mr Hi-Him-Himura,' stammered the man, stumbling a little over Kenshin's foreign name. 'P-pleased to m-meet you' he grasped Kenshin's hand nervously.

Slightly disturbed by the way the man was acting, Kenshin gave him his warmest smile. 'What is it you teach, professor?'

'D-defence against the d-dark arts,' he muttered, as if he would rather not think about it. Kenshin was a little unsure – the man looked like one good "boo" behind him would send him into a stroke or something.

'Well,' Hagrid said cheerfully 'we've gotta go 'n all ter get all his books. See yer at Hogwarts, Professor,' with that, Hagrid steered Kenshin through a door at the back of the pub. It led out into a small, walled courtyard, where there were only a dustbin and several species of weed. While Hagrid seemed preoccupied searching through his large coat, Kenshin felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up at his master. He was surprised when he was met with, not the arrogant face of his annoying master, but that of a man deep in thought. The change shocked him.

As quietly as he could, so Hagrid would not hear, Hiko whispered in Japanese "Something is wrong with that Quirrell person, Kenshin. I want you to keep an eye on him."

Kenshin was so surprised at being addressed as Kenshin by Hiko that it took him a minute to reply. "What do you mean by that, Shishou?"

"I'm not sure, that's what is bothering me," Hiko said, his eyes narrowed. "Something about his Ki is strange, but I can't figure out what."

Kenshin glanced over his shoulder towards the pub again, but could not sense anything wrong with Professor Quirrell's Ki. "So you want me to keep watch him?" Kenshin asked dumbfounded.

"Yes, just make sure he doesn't try to kill anyone."

"N-nani!" Now Kenshin was really confused. "How do you know he's going to try to kill someone, Shishou?"

Hiko frowned "It's strange. You should be able to feel it if you try hard enough. It's hidden, a very malicious intent."

Trying to dig deeper into Quirrell's Ki, Kenshin finally found what Hiko was talking about. Something was very strange with it. "It's as if he has a dominant Ki and a dormant Ki!" he exclaimed.

"Aa, but that shouldn't be possible. No one should have two separate Ki signatures. That is why I want you to investigate this." Hiko told Kenshin.

"You mean, you want me to spy on a Teacher?" Kenshin asked disbelievingly.

"Not necessari-"

'Ah, here we are!' Hagrid interrupted loudly. Hiko immediately stopped. Kenshin glanced over to see what it was he found. 'Oro?' In Hagrid's large hand was the daffiest umbrella he had ever seen. Not only was it quite small compared to its owner and quite battered, but it was bright pink! 'Now stand back,' he warned them. Unsure what Hagrid was planning to do, Hiko and Kenshin moved back as one.

Hagrid raised his umbrella and, with the end of it, began counting bricks in the wall above the dustbin.

'Three up...two across…' Hagrid muttered, touching the brick he ended on three times with the point of the pink umbrella.

Just as Kenshin was wondering about Hagrid's sanity, the brick in the wall quivered - it wriggled – in the middle, a hole was appearing in front of Kenshin wide eyes. Soon the hole was wide enough for even his Master to step through with plenty of headspace, an archway onto a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.

'Welcome,' said Hagrid, 'to Diagon Alley,'

'Ororororo...' Kenshin said softly in awe.

'Well stop standing there staring and get in, idiot apprentice,' Hiko said, pushing Kenshin through the whole and then following him in. Hagrid followed soon after. Kenshin glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see the archway shrink back into a normal, solid wall.

'It's a little late, but we've gotta get yer money first, before we can get yer stuff,' Hagrid said as they started down the cobbled streets. Kenshin followed after Hagrid and Hiko, trying to look everywhere at once. There were places selling cauldrons, owls, brooms, robes, telescopes, various animal body parts, spell books, quills, parchment, and many other things that Kenshin had never laid eyes on before. However, there weren't very many people shopping. Kenshin turned to Hagrid.

'Where do we have to go to change muggle money, Hagrid?' he asked, trying his hand at a little wizard talk. Hagrid looked down at him.

'We've gotta go ter Gringotts wizard bank'

'Wizards have banks?' Kenshin said in surprise.

'Just the one – Gringotts. It's run by Goblins'

Kenshin stopped short. '_Goblins!'_

If Hagrid was surprised by Kenshin's behaviour, he didn't show it. 'Yeah – so yer'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yer that. Never mess with goblins, Kenshin. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yer want ter keep safe – 'cept maybe Hogwarts. Ah, here we are. Gringotts.'

Kenshin and Hiko looked up at what Hagrid had pointed to. They had reached a snow white building, much larger than any of the other shops around it. Large burnished bronze doors towered over even Hagrid, and standing next to them, wearing a tiny uniform of red and gold was-

'Yeah, that's a goblin' Hagrid nodded, seeing Kenshin's wide, amethyst eyes. A goblin. If anyone had told him a few months ago he would see a real live goblin; he would have laughed in their faces, knowing they were just in fairy tales. _But magic used to be only in fairy tales too_, Kenshin mused. Walking up closer to the goblin, Kenshin noticed that it was even shorter than he was and had a swarthy, cleaver face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet. It bowed as they walked inside. Then, they were facing a pair of silver doors bearing the inscription:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

'A very heart-warming greeting,' Hiko remarked as they walked through, past another two bowing goblins.

'Like I said, yer'd be mad ter try an' rob it,' Hagrid said. Kenshin suppressed a shudder.

As Kenshin and the others walked through the silver doors, they found themselves in a vast marble hall. Kenshin was sure that, if you could move a whole house, you'd be able to put Hiko's cabin in several (hundred) times. About a hundred goblins sat on high stools behind a counter larger than Kenshin was, scribing in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining large gems through eyeglasses, holding them in cleaver hands. Around the hall were more doors than Kenshin could count in one sitting, and even more goblins showing the odd person through them. Hagrid glanced around and pointed to the free goblin near the middle. As they approached, it looked down at them with narrow eyes.

'Hello, we'd like ter exchange some muggle money fer wizard's money,' Hagrid informed him.

'What kind of muggle money is it, sir?' the goblin asked.

Hagrid swore slightly under his breath and turned to Kenshin and Hiko. 'I dunno anything about Muggle money.' He mumbled. Kenshin and Hiko glanced at each other. Taking this as a hint, Hiko said 'Japanese muggle money: yen.' Hagrid smiled sheepishly in thanks.

'Very well, may I see the amount to be exchanged sir?' asked the goblin with an out-stretched hand.

Hiko grabbed the bag from somewhere in his mantle and handed it to him.

'Thank you, sir. This will only take a moment,' said the goblin, counting the many coins and bills in the bag.

'It is surprising that people would pay so much for your pottery,' Kenshin muttered to his master, watching the goblin count all that money.

'How is it surprising, idiot apprentice?' Hiko muttered back, also watching. 'I told you that my considerable skills were not limited to swords.'

'Mm-hmm,' Kenshin hummed disbelievingly.

Waiting for a few more minutes, the goblin finally finished counting. He then jumped off of his stool and disappeared underneath the counter, apparently looking for something. He reappeared with a small roll of parchment and a fancy black quill in his hand. As he wrote something on it- without dipping it in ink first, Kenshin noticed- the goblin nodded slightly. 'Everything seems to be in order' he told them, and then called out, 'Griphook!'

Another goblin walked over to the part of the counter the goblin serving Hagrid, Hiko and Kenshin. The first goblin gave Griphook the parchment and instructed him, 'Take these gentlemen to the foreign exchange vault and give them the amount I have written.'

'Yes, sir,' Griphook said. Turning to the three with a low bow, he said 'Follow me sirs.'

Griphook lead them towards one of the many doors and held it open for them. Kenshin had to blink several times to get used to the suddenly dim lighting. They had been lead into a dark, stone passageway, lit with several flaming torches. It sloped downwards steeply and ended in what looked like a small railway line, which swerved around a corner into darkness. Griphook looked them over and gave two, short, loud whistles and, out of nowhere, two small carts, locked together, hurtled to a stop right in front of them.

'In we go, sirs,' Griphook told them as he climbed in. Kenshin climbed into the first cart with the goblin without difficulty, but Hiko had to suffer a little discomfort considering his size. Hagrid, being even bigger than Hiko, had the second cart to himself, but was still squashed. He looked, in Kenshin's opinion, rather apprehensive. When they were all comfortably- or as comfortable as they could be in Hiko and Hagrid's case- inside the cart, they sped off into a maze of tunnels.

Kenshin attempted to remember right, right, left, middle, left – but it was going so fast, it was impossible. All Kenshin had to show for it were rather swirly eyes. Kenshin started to wonder where exactly they were going, but when he turned to ask the goblin he realised Griphook wasn't even steering. The ride wasn't very long and before Kenshin knew it, they had stopped.

Stumbling out of the cart, Kenshin turned to see how Hiko had made of the roller-coaster-like trip. However, Hiko, as usual, didn't even bat an eyelash. Hagrid, on the other hand, looked quite green and Kenshin had a horrible feeling he was going to be sick. He had to lean against the wall, while Kenshin patted him on the back awkwardly until it looked like he had recovered a little.

The goblin waited patiently, holding a small lantern, until they were ready and lead them up to a large door in the wall. Griphook fished into his pocket and brought out a ring of tiny keys. Selecting one, Griphook stuck it into the lock. As it gave a dull click, Griphook explained 'the personal vaults are down below, but since this one doesn't belong to one specific family or customer, it doesn't get exactly the same security.'

Kenshin understood their thinking, but he wondered, wide-eyed with wonder, if the vault should be down deeper when he saw what was inside. There were small mountains of gold, silver, and bronze coins inside the vast vault.

'Oro…' he gasped in amazement.

'The gold ones are Galleons' Hagrid explained, noticing Kenshin's dazed expression with a small smile 'Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle, its easy enough.'

Kenshin turned back to the goblin and watched as Griphook counted out coins unbelievably fast and putting them in a small, leather bag. He soon filled one and took out another bag that looked exactly like the first and started filling that one too. When he was halfway through the fifth bag, a few minutes later, he stood up and tied it. '1568 Galleons, 7 Sickles and 17 Knuts in all - a very large amount. I exchanged a few Galleons for Sickles and Knuts so you'd have a more even amount, sir,' Griphook said, handing them the five bags.

'Thank you,' said Hiko as Kenshin just stared incredulously at the bulging bag of gold he had.

They made their way back to the carts, with Hagrid looking rather sick again. _I hope he doesn't throw up_, Kenshin thought in a slightly dazed way. They rode a cart back and Kenshin recovered enough from his astonishment to say 'thank you' to Griphook. Soon they were once again standing in the cool night air, and it was probably getting close to midnight by then. Kenshin realised how tired he was for only being up for a few hours. 'Master, where will we stay for the night?' Kenshin asked sleepily.

'Tired already, idiot apprentice?' Hiko asked in rare sympathy. 'It's understandable.'

Hagrid chuckled. 'The Leaky Cauldron doubles as an inn; yer can get a room from there.'

'Th-Thank you,' Kenshin said, stifling a large yawn behind a hand.

'Tomorrow, I'll take yer round ter get yer stuff fer Hogwarts, okay?' Hagrid said.

Kenshin was barely awake through the walk back to the Leaky Cauldron; he was so tired. When they got into the room Hiko rented, Kenshin literally collapsed on the bed. He only had one thought before he surrendered to unconsciousness. _If today was this exciting, I wonder what tomorrow has in store._ With a small smile, he surrendered himself to sleep.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes.

I had to think of the time difference, but I'm not sure I got it quite right. If I haven't, I'm sorry, but I wanted to have Kenshin have a full day in Diagon rather than spend it in the bank. I don't think I have much else to comment on, only that Hiko and Kenshin would get suspicious of Quirrell for two ki signatures. As Hiko explains, no one should have two life forces. Of course, with Harry, he never had ki sense, so would just take him the way he appears. Any Questions, comments or criticisms? Please REVIEW!

Next time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Kenshin gets a true feel for wizarding life, along with the wand and the owl to boot! Plus what mischief would a red head with a magic stick come up with? Find out next episode: Diagon Alley - Revisited


	6. Chapter 6

Chosha's Notes 

Welcome back minna-san! I want to thank some people – my reviewers! DrAgOnCiTa, Tiger's Lily and Crazy Hyper Lady for your reviews. You guys make me so happy. On public demand, here is your new chapter!

Tiger's Lily: (holds up hands) I admit I am guilty as charged. I needed to keep some of the book in, as I have been changing parts through the story line. But I have my reasons – Kenshin just needs to know them! Won't say any more about that though. You'll just have to find out!

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: (sometimes I wonder why I bother…) I don't own! Me wants to, but me no own!

Last time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Kenshin finally got to the wizarding world (and who knew someone was bigger than Hiko!) Plus he got his first taste of the weird and wacky. But now he actually got to collect the stuff he needs.

Chapter Six 

Diagon Alley – Revisited

Kenshin grumbled as the sunlight shone straight into his eyes. With a few choice words at the sun's inconsiderateness, Kenshin yanked his blankets over his head and turned over to go back to sleep. He immediately felt the sharp prodding of a finger in his side.

"Baka Deshi, you awake?"

Kenshin pulled down the covers long enough to flash Hiko a glare. "Iie"

"Then get awake; we need to get you some normal clothes soon, unless you want to walk around in the clothes you have on right now all day," Hiko said, jabbing at Kenshin's chest.

Kenshin looked at himself; he was still wearing the (admittedly rumpled) clothes he had on last night. "Iie, I'll get up," he said reluctantly, pushing the covers of him slowly. Rubbing his eyes he muttered "What time is it?"

Hiko looked at the clock on the fireplace of the room they had rented. "Around 6:30 in the morning."

"Nani! Are you serious, Shishou?" Kenshin asked. He could not believe he had slept in so long.

"Yes, so you better get ready now," Hiko said, turning around to walk out the door. "I'll be waiting downstairs with that Hagrid fellow" He stopped and then threw a letter over to the bed. "Your acceptance letter came last night. It seems your riding a train to get to Hogwarts. Don't loose your ticket."

"Hai Shishou," Kenshin mumbled, opening the already opened envelope. He found a ticket inside. It said the train was leaving from Platform 9¾ on September 1st at 11:00 A.M. Kenshin blinked. _9¾?_ If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that there was no such thing as a platform 9¾. Perhaps English train-stations were much different from the Japanese ones. With a shrug, he decided to give the ticket to Hiko for safekeeping and then reluctantly got up off the soft bed. Perhaps because the bed was so much more comfortable to the futon he was used to he had slept for so long. He didn't want to get up!

With a groan, Kenshin stumbled across to the Bathroom and opened the door. Before he decided to do anything else, he filled the sink with ice-cold water and plunged his face into it. He held himself under for a full five minutes before he threw back his head and gasped for air. Well, he was definitely awake now! After rubbing his face with a towel and shaking his head to get rid of the excess water, Kenshin quickly ran a comb through his hair to make it look a little more presentable and tied it back with his usual fox-tail. However, even though it was wet, his hair still fell about his face, framing it with crimson bangs. Ignoring that, he quickly brushed his teeth and straightened the creases out of his training gi and hakama and walked into the corridor and down to the pub area.

Kenshin looked around for his master and Hagrid and found him easily. Hiko, with his height, Japanese gi and hakama and bright cloak, and Hagrid in his great coat and head almost brushing the ceiling, they stood out like a sore thumb. Kenshin walked over to them. As he approached, Hagrid spotted him.

'Mornin' Kenshin,' he said brightly.

Bidding the giant man good morning as well, Kenshin turned to his master. 'Could you hold onto this for me, Master?'

'I didn't know you trusted me so much, idiot apprentice. I am very touched,' Hiko said with a smirk on his face, as he put the envelope somewhere in his cloak.

'Right, yer all ready ter get yer stuff?' Hagrid asked. Kenshin grinned in reply.

'Yes,' Replied Hiko. They followed Hagrid round the back once more and (after Hagrid had emptied his many pockets of mouldy dog biscuits and other, less pleasant stuff in search of his ridiculous pink umbrella) the giant man tapped the brick and opened the doorway to Diagon Alley.

Now that it was morning, even at that early hour, the atmosphere in the magical shopping street had changed dramatically. With the shops open for business, there was a rush of shoppers one would expect to find in a main city like Tokyo, New York or Muggle London. Kenshin watched as a bunch of wizard children, only a little younger than Kenshin himself stared into the window of a shop with a broom in the window. 'Wow! The Nimbus Two-thousand! It's the fastest one yet!' he heard one announce.

'Yer still got yer letter?' Hagrid asked as they walked. Kenshin wrenched his eyes away from the shops and pulled out the envelope from within the neck of his gi where he had left it last night.

'Umm, it's a little crumpled' Kenshin replied apologetically, 'but you can still read what it says'

Hagrid nodded. 'Good. There's a list of everything yer need'

Kenshin looked in the envelope again. Sure enough there was another letter – the only one folded up properly now – and smoothed it out. Seeing this was the letter he needed, Kenshin quickly scanned the letter before he read the contents aloud.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Uniform_

_First-year students will require:_

_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for daily wear_

_One pair of protected gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should require name tags_

_Set Books_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_The Standard Book of spells (Grade 1) By Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Other Equipment_

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

Hagrid lead them to the entrance of a shop that said _Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions._ 'Yer can get yer uniform here,' Hagrid told Kenshin.

As they entered, a squat, smiling witch dressed in Mauve, who Kenshin guessed could only be Madam Malkin said to them, 'Hogwarts, dear?' before Kenshin could say much of anything 'Got your whole uniform- and quite few other's- right here. Now if you will step into the back, we can have you fitted in no time at all.'

Hiko and Hagrid waited while Madam Malkin steered Kenshin through into the back of the shop. There, she had Kenshin stand on a footstool and draped a robe much too long over him. As she was pinning the robe to the right length she said, 'So you've come all the way from Japan, have you?' When Kenshin blinked in surprise, she laughed.

'Yes, ma'am,' Kenshin said politely.

'I had a girl who was born in Japan here only yesterday' She continued as she pinned up a little more 'I can't say I've seen anyone with your shade of hair colour before, though. Is it a common one in Japan?' Madam Malkin asked in a friendly voice.

'No, ma'am, I haven't seen anyone else with my hair colour either.'

'Well I'd say that you'll have a lot of girls chasing after you with your looks,' She said with a smile as Kenshin flushed a deep shade of red and uttered a surprised 'oro'.

'Th-Thank you ma'am… I think,' Kenshin said, confused at how this had come up.

'What's your name, dear?' she asked again in a few minutes when Kenshin's face had returned to its normal colour.

'Kenshin, ma'am- Kenshin Himura.'

'Well, Kenshin, I'd say that you're just about done with the fitting.'

'Thank you, ma'am.' Kenshin said stepping down from the stool

'You're welcome, dear,' Madam Malkin said as she gathered all of Kenshin's clothes up.

A few minutes later, Kenshin and Hiko paid Madam Malkin and walked outside.

When they walked into a shop called Flourish and Blotts, they still had plenty of money so Kenshin bought everything that looked interesting along with his schoolbooks. They left with a stack of books as tall as Kenshin. Of course, Kenshin had to carry all of them ('They're your books. Why should I have to carry them?' complained Hiko). After they bought all of the books, they went to the apothecary to get their potion supplies. Kenshin promptly bought a pewter cauldron and dumped his books into it.

'What's left to buy, idiot apprentice?' Hiko asked when it was close to 3:00, going back to calling Kenshin "idiot apprentice", probably because Hiko was carrying all of the supplies.

'Just my wand and a pet, Master.'

'Do you _need _a pet?' Hiko asked.

'No, but I really, really, really want one!' Kenshin said enthusiastically. Hagrid smiled behind his bushy beard and Hiko's eyes twinkled. Kenshin's mood had become much happier and more child-like the longer they kept buying stuff.

'Fine, but choose one that will not make a mess,' Hiko said, immediately relenting.

'Thank you!' Kenshin said happily

'First, let's get yer wand,' Said Hagrid. He pointed to a narrow, shabby shop with peeling gold letters over the door, which _stated Ollivanders: Makers of Fine wands since 382 BC._ A single wand lay on a purple cushion in the dusty window. 'I've just gotta get summat from another shop'. With that, Hagrid left, leaving Kenshin and his master alone to enter the store.

As Kenshin pushed open the door, a bell tinkled somewhere in the depths of the shop. It was tiny inside, empty but for a single, spindly chair in the middle, which Hiko promptly occupied. Kenshin fidgeted slightly. In the deafening silence, but was frightened to break it. To occupy himself, Kenshin scanned his eyes over the row upon rows of narrow boxes piled high to the ceiling. To Kenshin, this shop looked a little cross between a shoe shop and a very strict library, if it wasn't for the prickling feeling that ran through his skin. The very dust felt thick with powerful magic.

'Good afternoon,' said a soft voice. Even Hiko jumped. Neither of them had felt an approaching ki and it seemed to trouble Hiko greatly. Perhaps it was all the magic in the room. Still, Kenshin couldn't help but suppress a shudder.

An old man stood before them, wide, silvery-blue eyes watched him closely. They kind of reminded Kenshin of moons, how they seemed to glow in the gloom of the shop.

'Uh…H-hello…?' Kenshin stuttered. Great, now he was starting to sound like that Quirrell fellow from yesterday.

'Ah yes,' the man, who had to be Mr. Ollivander, said. 'I guessed I would be meeting you soon, Kenshin Himura. You've come all the way from Japan, am I correct?'

'Erm, yes, sir,' Kenshin said, confused about how Ollivander knew his name.

Ollivander moved closer to Kenshin, so close that he and Kenshin were almost nose to nose. Kenshin could see his reflection in those moon-like eyes. He wished Ollivander would blink. Those eyes were very creepy. Kenshin shivered unconsciously. 'Well, it is always good to have a muggle born wizard in here; makes the wands' choosing so much more unpredictable and exciting,' Mr. Ollivander went on.

Kenshin nodded, very confused about what Mr. Ollivander was talking about.

'Shall we get started then, Mr. Himura?' Mr. Ollivander asked. 'Hold out your wand arm,' he added immediately, not waiting for an answer.

'I assume Mr. Ollivander means your sword arm, apprentice,' Hiko suggested helpfully while Kenshin looked as confused as ever.

'Oh, all right,' Kenshin said as he held out his right arm.

'Just a few measurements to do,' Mr. Ollivander said. He pulled out a tape measure to measure Kenshin from shoulder to fingertips, then wrist to elbow, Shoulder to floor, Knee to armpit and (for some inane reason) round his head. As he was working, Ollivander said 'Every Ollivander wand has a core of a very powerful substance, Mr Himura. We use Unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and dragon heartstrings. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns; phoenix or dragons are the same. Of course, this means you would not get quite so good results using the wand of another.'

Kenshin gasped as he realised the tape measure, which was now measuring everything from Kenshin's finger length to the space between his nostrils, was doing it of its own accord. Mr. Ollivander had left to search through the shelves in the back of the dark corner.

'That will be enough,' he said, and the tape measure crumpled to the floor in a messy heap. Mr. Ollivander had come back with a wand for Kenshin to test. 'Right then, Mr Himura, try this one. Yew and unicorn hair, 8 inches, nice and flexible,' he stated as he held it out for Kenshin. 'Go on, give it a wave.'

Kenshin took the wand, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it back before Kenshin could so much as lift it over his head. 'Here, try this one. Holly and dragon heartstring, 13 inches, very pliant,' he said holding out another wand for Kenshin to try. Kenshin actually got the wand above his head before it was snatched away too.

'How about this one? Holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches, rather supple,' Mr. Ollivander said. Kenshin waved it around once or twice, feeling very foolish, before Mr. Ollivander took that one away also.

Kenshin didn't know that it would take so long to get a magic wand. He the pile of unsuitable wands had formed a small mountain on the counter. Instead of getting frustrated however, Mr. Ollivander just seemed to get happier and happier the more wands Kenshin tried.

'A tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, not to worry, we'll find the wand for you.' He began to shuffle through the shelves again. Turning so Kenshin could see the side of his face, he said 'An interesting buyer needs a more interesting combination, wouldn't you say, Mr Himura?'

Kenshin wasn't sure what to make of this, but Ollivander didn't wait for an answer. 'Let's try this unusual combination. Yew, dragon heartstring and phoenix feather, 10 inches. A very strong wand.'

Kenshin took it doubtfully, so it came as a surprise as he felt warmth shooting through his fingers as soon as he touched it. This was new! He brought it over his head and then slashed it down as he would slash his sword. To his surprise, silver and gold sparks shot out of the tip of the wand like fireworks.

'Good, good!' Mr. Ollivander cried excitedly. He put it in the box and wrapped it. 'It's always good to find a wand isn't it. Though, it's really the wand that finds the wizard. Yes, indeed.'

Kenshin just nodded. He wasn't really sure what to make of that man. But right then, he didn't give two hoots. He was too excited at having his own wand. He couldn't wait until he could try it out. He paid the seven Galleons, and Mr. Ollivander bowed to them as Kenshin and Hiko walked out.

Just as they exited, Hagrid walked up. In his hand was a strange sight, for perching in a large cage was the most beautiful barn owl Kenshin had ever seen. It looked up at him with dark, strangely intelligent eyes that seemed to go with all wizard owls. When it saw him, it hooted pleasantly. Hagrid smiled as he passed the cage to a stunned Kenshin.

'All kids want owls,' Hagrid explained 'they carry yer post n' everythin'. She's from Eeylops Owl Emporium.'

'Thank you, Hagrid!' Kenshin's eyes shone as he looked at his new friend. He put his finger through the bars and stroked the Owls soft feathers. She nuzzled him and nibbled his finger affectionately in return.

'Can we go back to the inn now, apprentice?' Hiko asked.

As they made their way back to the inn, Kenshin began to think of names to call his new companion, but just couldn't think of anything appropriate. He turned to his master, who was walking beside him, his mantle billowing behind him.

'Master, what do you think I should name her?' Kenshin asked

'She is your pet. Her name is your responsibility,' Hiko replied unhelpfully. 'Try to choose one that you like, apprentice.'

Kenshin was still pondering about his new owl's name when he walked into his room in the Leaky Cauldron and dumped his things on the bed, placing the barn owl's cage gently on the bedside table.

Hagrid glanced into the room and turned to the boy 'I've just got an owl from Dumbledore' he said proudly 'seems some o them muggles – no offence, Mr Hiko – are makin' it hard fer our letters ter get to a student. I've gotta go an' help out. Perhaps I'll see yer round Hogwarts, yeah?'

Kenshin was startled by this, but nodded. He had grown to like the giant man. 'I hope so too. Bye Hagrid'

Hagrid griped his arm and left.

'I'm going downstairs to gather information about this world,' Hiko called out as he walked out of the room right after coming in. 'Read some books in the meantime. Try some spells.'

Kenshin nodded absent-mindedly. He pondered about his new owl's name. He wanted one that his new pet would approve of. He looked into his owl's cage and decided to let her out. The owl hopped out and looked at Kenshin with an intelligence that seemed characteristic to all owls in the wizarding world. She spread her wings and flew over the room and back, stretching her cramped wings. Kenshin watched in fascination at the utter grace of her flight. She landed on Kenshin's arm and hooted gently. Kenshin sat down on the bed and stroked her soft feathers.

'How would being called "Mika" sound to you?' Kenshin asked the owl.

The owl seemed to think about this one. After a few seconds, she nodded and hooted approvingly. Kenshin felt elated at having named his new pet. 'Well, Mika, I guess I should follow Master's orders and start reading.' The owl took off again and fluttered over to the bedside table, where she perched on the top of her cage, watching over him.

Kenshin pulled out a random book- The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1- and started reading. Finishing the introduction, he decided he was ready to try out a spell. He picked a spell that made things levitate.

'Wingardium Levioza!' Kenshin shouted, waving his wand at a quill resting on the bed. He frowned when the quill didn't so much as twitch. Kenshin consulted the book again and found that it was an 's' and not a 'z'. "Woops!"

'Wingardium Leviosa!' Kenshin shouted confidently, waving his wand around. To his disappointment, the quill didn't so much as turn over. He decided that magic was much more than gestures and shouting out a few silly words. Turning back to the book, Kenshin decided to read the text underneath the incantation.

Ten minutes later, Kenshin decided to give the Levitating charm another try. _Swish and Flick, Swish and Flick, Swish and Flick_, Kenshin thought as he practised moving his wand. Feeling ready, Kenshin shouted for the third time, 'Wingardium Leviosa!' this time stressing the sounds that the book instructed to stress. Swishing and flicking, the quill gave a feeble sort of back flip. That, however, was enough to make Kenshin ecstatic.

'I can do magic,' Kenshin said to himself happily. But Kenshin didn't stop there. He wanted to be able to make the quill touch the ceiling of their room before Hiko came back. He decided that he wasn't saying the incantation right.

'Win-GAR-dium Levi-O-sa!' Kenshin said again and again, swishing and flicking his wand, each time the quill going off the ground a little bit higher and longer than the last time. Finally, after nearly half an hour of continuous trying, the quill hit the ceiling and stayed there. Kenshin let out a little whoop of satisfaction waving his wand around and making the quill do back-flips and laps around the room. He waved it a little bit too happily and the quill's nib accidentally got lodged into the wall separating the bathroom from the main living quarters. After jumping up and tugging it out, Kenshin decided to move on to another spell.

He looked for about ten minutes in search of a useful spell.

'Unlocking seems to be a useful little spell,' Kenshin murmured to himself and the sleeping Mika.

Kenshin went over to the bathroom door and locked it. Just as he was reading about the spell, Hiko walked into the room.

'Apprentice, I've found out that it is not exactly legal that kids under the age of 17 to do magic outside of school. But I have also learned that the Ministry of Magic cannot detect the exact perpetrator so just do not let anybody see you practising,' Hiko said before walking out of the room again.

'Wha- perpe- am I a criminal!' Kenshin exclaimed at the doorway his master had just vacated.

'No!' was the reply, admittedly tinged with humour. 'Just keep practising secretly.'

Kenshin gaped at the door before glancing at Mika, as if she would be able to tell Kenshin what to do. Kenshin decided finally to trust Hiko and blame him if this Ministry turned up to arrest Kenshin.

'Alright, let's see,' Kenshin muttered to himself as he finished reading the paragraph on the unlocking spell. 'I'm pretty sure no one has made this door unlockable so this should work.'

Kenshin pointed his wand at the door and said, 'Alohomora!' With a click, the door's lock became unlocked. Delighted at the success of his first attempt, Kenshin opened another spellbook that sounded more interesting.

He opened Curses and Counter-curses to the first curse that it described. It was called the leg-locker curse. He hoped that it wouldn't actually lock up a person's legs because he was going to test it on himself. He amused himself momentarily by imagining Hiko with his legs locked up in a safe and attempting to move with his legs stuck in a box, causing him to giggle. However, he wouldn't even think about jinxing or cursing someone unless it was in self-defence. Hiko had hammered manners into Kenshin ever since he was first given a sword – literally!

With only the slightest sense of foreboding, Kenshin pointed his wand at himself and shouted 'Petrificus!' as he would shout when he was attacking with his sword.

Instantly, a jet of red light hit Kenshin and pushed him back an inch or two. He was so surprised at seeing the jet of light when the other two spells had no visible path that he didn't notice that his legs were stuck together until he tried to move.

'ORO!' Kenshin yelped as he fell flat on his face. Sitting up, he tried to stand up again, but ended falling headlong into the other bed, moving it over several feet. Whatever he did, he could not get his legs to move away from each other. With difficulty, Kenshin dragged himself over to his bed and pulled himself up. Panting, he made a grab for the book before he fell flat on his face again.

'Orooo…' he groaned as he rubbed his sore head, swirly-eyed. When he recovered enough, Kenshin elbowed himself up and looked down at the book for some kind of counter curse.

'Erm...ummm...' Kenshin hummed nervously as he looked for something; by that time he had knocked over a desk, table, and, surprisingly, the bed he had fallen into. He finished reading the paragraph on the leg-locker curse (something he forgot to do beforehand) and found a spell that would take off the effect of any spell cast on a person, though, the book said it was a rather difficult spell.

'Finite Incantatem!' Kenshin shouted, desperately hoping to get his legs back to normal, once again pointing at himself with his wand. Instantly his legs shot apart. Kenshin let out a sigh of relief and stood up to put the furniture back in its correct place. The moment he lifted his leg though, Kenshin's jumped back together, making him fall backwards into his own bed, landing with a thud.

'Oro!' slipped out of Kenshin's mouth. Kenshin confidently said again, 'Finite Incantatem,' but this time, nothing changed. Confused, Kenshin tried again. And again. And again. Each time he tried, nothing changed. Kenshin could not think of what was wrong with his spell.

Briefly- very briefly- Kenshin considered stabbing himself in the space between the locked legs to try and prise them apart with his sword. Very quickly, Kenshin decided to do something else. He would stop himself by magic: preferably magic that did no harm to the user.

What was I doing differently the first time? Kenshin thought fervently as he absently rubbed his bruised head. Well, I was humming. I doubt that would help. What else? What else?

Kenshin was getting nervous again. He had been afflicted with the curse for more than ten minutes already. He reasoned that someone might come knocking on his door asking for the reason for all the racket Kenshin was making. It was illegal to do magic if he was under 17 years old and not in his school, and he had just turned 11 according to the English way of ageing: much younger than 17. He didn't want to get sent to prison on his first real day in the magical world.

Kenshin tried to remember anything Hiko might have told him to do if Kenshin messed up at something- which happened very often according to his master. Kenshin imagined his master's voice in his head.

_Baka Deshi, you are not concentrating hard enough! You must tackle every obstacle whole-heartedly if you expect any kind of favourable result._

_Of course_, realised Kenshin punching a fist into his other hand, making him fall forward again. _I must be concentrated to be able to use magic effectively. It's just like wielding a sword._

Glad that Hiko had taught him something useful, Kenshin concentrated with all his considerable willpower on putting his legs normal again. 'Finite Incantatem!' Kenshin shouted pointing his wand at himself. Just as what had happened the first time that he had used the spell, Kenshin's legs immediately sprang apart. However, he was not sure about his success. For all he knew, he had just stopped the jinx temporarily again. Gingerly, Kenshin lifted his leg off the ground an inch. When his legs didn't spring back together again, Kenshin started felt his spirits leap. So far so good! Walking around experimentally, Kenshin was pleased to find his legs moved normally. After ten normal-legged minutes, Kenshin let out a whoop of triumph. And then the door opened.

'Is this what happens when I leave you alone with a magic stick?' Hiko asked as he glanced around at the room, his eyes finally resting on Kenshin and the wand that he had in his hand still.

Kenshin looked too. The room looked like it had been through a hurricane. The table was overturned. One of the beds was on its side. The other bed had moved several feet and now sat right by the bathroom door. Only Mika's cage and the bathroom were unaffected. Mika was, miraculously, still asleep. Kenshin sweat-dropped

'Sorry, Master,' Kenshin said apologetically, looking at the ground and shamefacedly prodding his fingers together. 'I was just practising my magic.'

Hiko sighed. 'Yes, you always did learn by overreaching, apprentice,' he said. 'I don't blame you. But I will still make you clean this mess up, apprentice, while I fill you in on what I've learned.'

'Thank you, Master,' Kenshin said as he started cleaning the room at once, glad that he hadn't been punished with another spar. His side still twinged at the memory.

'For one thing, apprentice, the people of this world were once terrorised by a wizard named "Lord Voldemort". They said that, about twenty years ago, this Voldemort gathered together dozens of followers and killed everyone who stood up to him. They said that nowhere, except Hogwarts, was safe, because it seems that the one person he was frightened of was Dumbledore. However, it seems that one day he tried to kill a small family called the 'Potters'. But, for some reason, it seemed that there was a child – about one at the time- this was ten years ago mind – of the potters that somehow managed to survive a killing curse from Voldemort. I also found out that the spell rebounded onto him and, since then, he has never been seen again. But it seems that most wizards wont even speak Voldemort's name, even now...'

As Kenshin listened, he thought of the wonderful world he had been introduced to. Each day brought more miracles and discoveries. Think of what he could experience at Hogwarts, with kids his age. He could maybe even make some friends. However, he wondered about how a tiny boy could have defeated a wizard who had caused so much fear…

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

Sorry, I always wanted to have Kenshin struggle with magic, but I couldn't have someone like Malfoy curse him, so I thought, yeah, he can practice on himself. I'm just a little nuts, huh?

I wanted to name the owl 'grace' in Japanese, but found it to be two words. Mika means priestess, I think – I'll check that up though. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think!

Next time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Some familiar characters show up, with flying rats and chocolate frogs galore! Kenshin has trouble finding the train and – What do you mean 'take my sword'! I'm going to a _school_! Next episode: The Hogwarts express

Ja ne for now!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	7. Chapter 7

Chosha's notes 

Heya! Welcome back. I want to thank my reviewers: DrAgOnCiTa, LORD-BIG-DOGGIE, Crazy Hyper Lady and Kokuun. I would also like to rectify a mistake I made in my last notes. I said Mika means priestess. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Miko means priestess. But I did look up what it meant in a name book. Mika means new moon. I knew I called the owl Mika for a reason. Anyway, I really hope you'll review, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: as previously stated, RuroKen and Harry Potter do not belong to me, nor do I have any rights to them.

Last time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone

Kenshin practiced magic on himself and learned more of the magical world. But the time is getting short and Kenshin is about to go to Hogwarts!

Chapter Seven 

The Hogwarts Express

The holidays were over and September the first began to dawn. Kenshin hadn't managed to sleep very much and had woken up at five in the morning. He had packed everything into a trunk and waited impatiently for the time they would be leaving. They had managed to order a cab to take them to Kings-cross station. However, it is needless to say that the cab driver was rather stunned to have a man in a white mantle, a tiny Japanese boy with red hair – both in gi and hakama and looking like Samurai out of a book – and a barn owl as passengers. Thankfully, he didn't raise the question.

Now, however, standing in the middle of a crowded station, Kenshin was starting to look a little worried. Not only did the three of them stand out like a sore thumb, but as Kenshin looked down the line of platforms, nowhere did he see a platform 9¾

"Are you sure that it is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Shishou?" Kenshin asked for what must have been the tenth time that day.

The two people from Japan were currently standing in between Platform Nine and Ten of the King's Cross train station at exactly 9:15 A.M. London time. The duo had arrived fifteen minutes earlier and had drawn fifteen minutes' worth of stares. They had walked from Platform Nine to Platform Ten without seeing a single fraction. Their inconspicuousness was not helped at all by Mika hooting in annoyance. They had decided to stop pacing and stand in front of the dividing barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 until they could decide on their next course of action.

"Do you know how we're supposed to get onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Shishou?" Kenshin asked Hiko tentatively.

"No, Deshi," Hiko replied exasperatedly. "If I did, we would most likely be on the platform by now."

"Of course, Shishou. Gomennasai," Kenshin said. "I am just worried that I'll miss my train…"

"We have an hour and forty-five minutes, give or take a few seconds, until you're train leaves, Deshi," Hiko reassured Kenshin. "If we can not find a way to get onto the platform, we can always start tapping on bricks with your magic twig."

"Hai Shishou,' Kenshin relented. "Do you think that tapping bricks would help, though, Shishou? Wouldn't that be a little bit obvious?"

"What do you mean, Deshi?"

"Well, all these people -these muggles- would notice us, wouldn't they?" Kenshin pointed out, using a term that Hagrid taught Kenshin on the way to Diagon Alley.

"That's just a risk we'll have to take, Deshi," Hiko said. "Besides, nobody saw us walk into that invisible inn too."

"Oh yeah," Kenshin remembered how, despite the fact that the tiny inn was rather obvious, neither his master nor any of the muggles could see the Leaky Cauldron.

Hiko looked at Kenshin. "Well," he said. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oro?" Kenshin blurted out. "I should start tapping now?"

" 'Now or never' is what they say, Baka Deshi," Hiko said, gesturing at the nearest wall, the barrier that divided Platforms 9 and 10.

Kenshin sighed. As discreetly as he could, Kenshin pulled his wand out of his sword sash. He was still wearing his training clothes -robes, both of them agreed, would be even stranger than what he had on now- though he had left his sword with his master for safe keeping. He didn't want to be even stranger looking than he already was – or get arrested by the London police on his first day of school, either.

Kenshin tentatively tapped the brick right in front of him. To his immense surprise, his wand met nothing to tap and half disappeared through the solid-looking wall. It seemed as if the wall was not made of bricks but of air.

"Oro! Shishou!" Kenshin gasped in surprise.

"Hmmm," Hiko mused. "It's either a trap, in which case we would be better off not sticking any body part through, or it's the entrance to our platform."

"Who'd want to lay a trap for us, Shishou?" Kenshin asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Good point," Hiko said. He then shoved Kenshin through. Grabbing the luggage that Kenshin had left behind in his hasty entrance, Hiko followed.

Kenshin stumbled a bit out of surprise but managed to keep his balance. When he looked up, he saw a scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform crowded with people. A sign hung overhead which said 'Hogwarts express, 11 o-clock'. Kenshin looked back as Hiko walked through an iron archway where a ticket box on the wall had been. On it was the words 'Platform 9¾.

"See? Nothing to worry about," said Hiko who came up right beside him.

"You are very mean, Shishou," Kenshin said under his breath. Hiko smiled a little.

The train didn't leave for an hour and a half but already the platform was filled with witches and wizards. In the crowd, Kenshin could see many cats winding their way through their masters' legs, and could hear disgruntled hoots from locked up owls of all kinds. Mika hooted in answer to an owl close by. Kenshin could see that a few of the cars in front were already packed full, with a few hanging through windows to speak with their families. Not wanting to be left without a seat, Kenshin said 'goodbye' toward his master and then set out for the train.

"Hold on, Deshi," Hiko said, grabbing Kenshin by the back of his gi and tugging him back. "Don't forget your luggage and katana."

"Oh yeah, ariga- my katana!" Kenshin exclaimed. "Why do I need it?"

"I can't have you going rusty, can I," Hiko said. "I don't want to have to retrain you when you come back."

"But I'm going to SCHOOL. I can't take a weapon! It. Is. Not. Allowed!"

"Just take it, Baka Deshi."

"Iie!"

"Why not?"

"I told you why not!" Kenshin yelled.

"Keep your voice down, Baka Deshi. You'll attract stares." Hiko stated calmly.

Kenshin looked around and flushed redder than his hair (which was a feat in itself). Indeed, a few of the people near them were already turning their heads to stare at the two of them.

Once they had turned away again, Hiko leaned down. In a low voice he said "take it. You won't have to kill anyone with it, just practice"

In the same low voice, Kenshin said "It's too dangerous, Shishou. What if someone walks in on me while I'm training and I accidentally take off their head?"

"His or her head," Hiko corrected. "And I taught you how to sense Ki. Just run away when you sense someone."

"I don't want a weapon like that near me while I'm around people my own age."

Hiko sighed. "Fine."

Kenshin stared at him for a moment, unsure whether he had heard him right. "Fine!' Kenshin asked incredulously.

"Yes, fine," Hiko said. "You won't have to take this with you."

"Arigato, Shishou," Kenshin sighed relieved.

"I'm not giving up. You'll practice your swordsmanship," Hiko went on. "Just not with a Katana."

"Oro?" Kenshin said. "But I can't use a Shinai – I'd break it. You told me that yourself when you started teaching me"

Hiko, however, seemed not to have heard "You'd better find a compartment."

Kenshin had his luggage pushed into his hands and then was spun round roughly and pushed toward a compartment near the back of the train.

"Here, this one's empty," Hiko told Kenshin. "Go on."

Kenshin climbed through the train door and heaved his trunk in after him. After managing to get his stuff and Mika in, Kenshin turned back toward Hiko and asked, "How will I practice if I don't have a katana?"

"Don't worry about that now; let me worry about that," Hiko said with an unconcerned wave of his hand. However, he had a strange smile on his face. Uh oh… "Just don't forget to write." And then Hiko was striding through the growing crowds and was gone.

Kenshin decided to do what he always did: follow Hiko's instructions. Putting sword matters in the back of his mind, he slid the compartment door closed and started changing into his new wizard robes. Kenshin decided as he looked at himself in the glass, that he looked even more like a girl than he used to after he had got into his robes. _Just peachy…_

To help pass the time, Kenshin let Mika out of her cage, but not without first instructing her to stay inside the compartment. Kenshin didn't want to go out of the compartment without it being absolutely necessary, especially since he was now in something that looked very much like a dress. While Kenshin was watching Mika happily fly around, hooting pleasantly the door slid open. Kenshin blinked. 'Oro?'

Standing in the doorway was a boy of about his own age. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, but they looked like they were several sizes too big. He had jet-black hair that stood all over the place – a little like Kenshin's did. Behind round, rather battered looking glasses fixed together with tape, were a pair of bright green eyes. His ki seemed that of a humble, but very nervous boy.

'Um… excuse me, may I sit in your compartment please?'

Kenshin blinked before smiling gently. He felt the nervousness in the boy's ki fade a little. 'Of course.' He said, gesturing to the empty spaces in the compartment. The boy smiled back in relief. The boy placed a white owl in a cage through the door and began to lift his trunk up the stairs… or at least he attempted to. After he dropped it painfully on his foot, Kenshin decided that he might as well be useful.

'Want a hand?' he asked kindly

The boy looked a little surprised by the offer, but panted 'Yes, please'

Kenshin hopped out of the compartment and put his shoulder to the trunk. Together, the two of them managed to get the trunk up the steps and into the compartment, tucking it away in the corner near to Kenshin's. Both of the boys stepped in to the compartment and shared a triumphant laugh.

'Thanks,' the green-eyed boy said, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. Kenshin caught a glimpse of a lightning-bolt shaped scar. This got his curiosity up, but he mentioned nothing. With something like that, it is best not to say anything.

'My name is Kenshin Himura,' Kenshin said. 'What's yours?'

'Harry,' Harry answered. 'Harry Potter.'

Despite the fact that Kenshin's face never changed, the boy's name rang a bell. "Potter" – where had he heard that name before… Again, he decided not to say anything. The name "Potter" was a common one in the west anyway. Perhaps he had heard about another one somewhere. Besides, it wasn't his business anyway.

'So, are you a first-year student too, Harry?' Kenshin asked.

'Yeah,' Harry replied. 'And you are too?'

'Yep,' Kenshin beamed. 'I only found out a few months ago that I'm a wizard and everything. I bet Hogwarts will be full of magic.

'I know what you mean,' Harry said, with a relieved smile. 'My parents were a witch and wizard, but I grew up with my relatives. They're muggles, and horrible ones to boot. I was worried I would be the only one at school who didn't grow up without knowing about magic.'

'I was kind of worried about that too. I guess we'll just have to learn about this world together,' Kenshin said with a soft smile and a shrug.

'Yeah,' Harry said with a big smile. He was so glad to have finally made a friend. He wasn't exaggerating when he said that his relatives were horrible. The Dursleys were Harry's relatives from his mother's side and they absolutely abhorred magic. Apparently, when the Dursleys took Harry in, they were afraid that he would be a wizard and, for some reason, thought that by seriously mistreating Harry they could somehow squash the magic out of him. Needless to say, they were wrong, and Harry had left them to go to Hogwarts, feeling the happiest he could ever remember feeling.

Kenshin pondered on what he said. Worried he might sound a little too forward, he asked 'So… why do you live with your relatives and not your parents?'

Though it was well hidden, Harry's smile slipped a little and Kenshin immediately started kicking himself. _Kenshin no Baka! Now you've gone and done it! I really am a Baka Deshi._ Harry, on the other hand, didn't realise Kenshin was regretting what he had said. He was busy worrying about how his new friend would think about him if he found out that Harry was an orphan.

'Well, -' Harry started slowly, but was cut off as the train lurched forward and started moving.

Kenshin took advantage of the pause to say, 'I'm sorry, that was a stupid question to ask,' in a low voice

'No, that's okay,' Harry said. He decided that if he was going to be friends with Kenshin, then he shouldn't hide things. 'My parents were killed by Voldemort.'

Kenshin seemed momentarily speechless. Then, he quietly said, 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be,' Harry said. 'It wasn't your fault.'

Kenshin remembered something then. When Hiko had told him about Voldemort, hadn't he said that the son of the Potters who Voldemort had killed was one at the time when he somehow defeated him - that the spell rebound upon its originator? So that would make him Kenshin's age now! 'So that means that you're-' Kenshin began.

Then, the compartment door opened. A boy with ginger-hair stuck his head in nervously.

'Anyone sitting there?' he asked, pointing at the seat next to Kenshin. 'Everywhere else's full.'

Harry recognised the boy. When Harry had arrived at the train station, he had no idea how to get onto the correct platform. He had spotted the boy- Harry remembered his name was Ron- along with his three brothers, one sister, and one mother, with an owl. He knew that keeping owls as pets was not normal for a muggle family and had moved closer. He heard them talking about Hogwarts so he asked the mother how to get on. She kindly gave him instructions and informed him that Ron was going into his first year too.

Kenshin shook his head and the boy sat down next to him, relieved. Kenshin saw him glance at Harry and quickly look out of the window as if he hadn't. Kenshin tried not to raise an eyebrow. He saw that there was a dark smudge on his longish nose

'Thanks,' Ron said. 'My name's Ron Weasley,' he added as an afterthought.

'Kenshin Himura,' Kenshin said, smiling again.

'Harry Potter.'

Ron's eyes went wide. 'So you were Harry Potter!' he blurted out. 'Er- I thought I saw your scar. Do you really have, you know-?' Ron pointed at Harry's forehead.

Harry pulled back his bangs to reveal the scar- he had taken to hiding it whenever he was near magical people because they had a tendency to give him a lot of unwarranted reverence.

'Is that where You-Know-Who, - you know-'

'Tried to kill you?' Kenshin finished quietly for Ron.

'Yes,' Harry said. 'I don't remember any of it though.'

'None of it?' Ron asked eagerly.

'Well,' Harry thought. 'I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else.'

'Wow,' Ron said nonetheless. He sat and stared at Harry for a few minutes, then, as if he just realised what he was doing, quickly looked out the window again. Kenshin seemed to be pondering about this and said nothing at all.

Harry was eager to change the subject to something he felt more comfortable with and he was just as interested in Ron and Kenshin as they seemed to be with him, so he asked Ron 'Are your whole family wizards?'

'Er- yeah, I think so,' Ron replied. 'I think mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we don't talk about him.'

Kenshin seemed interested by an all-magic family too. 'So you must already know a lot of magic.'

Ron seemed flustered by all the attention. 'Not really. Mom wouldn't be too happy if I was trying to do any serious magic. How about you two?' Ron added. 'I heard that you went to live with muggles, Harry, but I don't know anything about you, Kenshin.'

'Yeah, me neither,' Harry remarked.

'Umm,' Kenshin looked a little nervous, wondering how the subject had come to himself. Even with Hiko, Kenshin almost never spoke about himself. This really wasn't much of a subject he wanted to talk about, so he put up all his inner defences, just to make sure. 'I'm an orphan really. I live in Japan with my master who teaches me ss-pottery.' Better not tell them about the Hiten Mitsurugi, he thought

'Master?' Ron asked. Harry agreed with the question. What did he mean by "master?"

'Oh, no! Nothing like that!' Kenshin said, waving his hands in front of him at their faces. They looked as if he had just told them he worked in a slave labour camp or something! 'I mean like Master and Apprentice,' he explained.

'Oh,' Harry said, a little embarrassed.

'So, uh, why don't you go to a Japanese school of magic?' Ron asked, as if to make up for his embarrassment. 'Wouldn't it be closer?'

Kenshin shrugged. 'The Japanese schools need their students to start going to school since childhood and I think that maybe I wasn't able to go.'

'Why not?' Ron and Harry asked in confusion. Kenshin was feeling uncomfortable again

'Well, I lived in a pretty poor orphanage so I think that the schools realised that I wouldn't have the resources to go to school.'

Harry and Ron looked each other. They had both forgotten that Kenshin said he was an orphan.

Harry tentatively asked, 'What happened to your parents?'

Kenshin's face was devoid of any emotion; his eyes took on a flat look that chilled them slightly. This was not a look you'd expect to see on a normal 11-year-old. 'They died of illness' he said rather shortly.

'Blimey, I'm sorry, mate,' Ron said quietly.

The moment passed and Kenshin's eyes softened a bit more. 'Don't worry about it,' Kenshin said, his voice marginally more cheerful with a quick smile. 'How's living with your relatives like, Harry.'

Harry could tell that Kenshin was trying to change the subject quickly so he went along with it. 'Oh, they're horrible. They must be the worst muggles you could ever meet. I wish I had a family like yours Ron. Wish I had three wizards for brothers.'

'Five,' Said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomily. 'I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say that I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy. Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal – they did it first. It doesn't matter what I do. You'd never get anything new either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes; Charlie's old wand and Percy's old rat.'

Ron pulled out a fat grey rat from his jacket pocket. It was currently asleep.

'His name's Scabbers and useless: hardly ever wakes up. Dad got Percy an owl for being made prefect, but they couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead.'

Ron's ears became a curious shade of pink. He must have thought he said too much, because he started looking out of the window to avoid Kenshin and Harry's eyes.

Harry didn't think that there was anything to be ashamed about in not being able to afford an owl. He himself had never had any money until the last month. He told Ron all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. Ron seemed to brighten a little. Kenshin also told him all about how he had only ever had about two sets of clothes while living with Hiko and having to be taught everything by Hiko, as he couldn't afford tuition fee's

'And, until Hagrid told me' Harry added, 'I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort -'

Ron gasped. Kenshin was rather surprised as he felt the fear ripple through his ki.

'What?' both Harry and Kenshin asked.

'You- you just said You-Know-Who's name!' Ron said, sounding both shocked and impressed. 'I thought that you, of all people, would-'

Kenshin and Harry glanced at each other, both with a confused look in their eyes. 'I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying his name' Harry said. 'I just didn't know that you shouldn't. Neither does Kenshin. See what I mean? We both have loads to learn. Do you think...' Harry said worriedly, 'that we'd be so behind that we'd be at the bottom of the class?'

Kenshin was looking worried for the first time. This thought had never occurred to him before. He looked at Ron too nervously.

'You two won't be. There're loads of people who are from Muggle families. They learn quick enough and so will you guys.'

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London, and was now speeding passed neat fields full of cows and sheep, the occasional horse. For a time the three of them said nothing, just looking out the windows, watching the scenery pass by. During that time, Mika, who had been flying around the ceiling finally became bored and flew on top of Harry's owl-cage. The white owl looked up in annoyance. Kenshin introduced her as his owl, Mika. Harry also told him his owl's name – Hedwig.

At about half twelve, Kenshin felt a ki approach. However, there wasn't much need to even check. The noise from a rattling trolley was warning enough. A smiling, dimpled woman pushing a cart full of food slid the compartment door open. 'Anything off the cart, dears?'

Kenshin's stomach gave a very audible growl. 'I'm kinda hungry.' He said sheepishly. Harry also jumped off his seat and approached. Ron, however, stayed where he was, his ears turning pink once again. He muttered something at having brought sandwiches.

Kenshin and Harry glanced at the selection of food on the trolley. Kenshin had never seen such strange, but delicious, assortment. There were Bertie Bott's Every-Flavoured Beans; Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice wands and a number of other things. Kenshin could only find one word to describe it all. 'Oro!'

Kenshin never had enough money, and had never really been allowed to have any sort of sweets and, by the way Harry was buying things, neither had the other boy. They bought as much as they could carry and carried it back into the room. Ron stared as they dumped the stuff on the empty seat next to Harry.

'Hungry, are you?'

'Starving,' Harry said around a pumpkin pastry he had bitten into.

Ron reached into his jacket and pulled out a slightly squashed package of sandwiches. Unwrapping them, he pulled one apart and looked inside. He pulled a face. 'She always forgets I don't like corn-beef,' he sighed.

Kenshin looked over to see. They looked rather dry. Kenshin smiled as he had an idea. With lightning fast speed, he knocked them out of his hand. Ron stared at the fallen sandwiched, as if wondering how that happened. Kenshin and Harry looked surprised too, but Kenshin was not surprised that neither of the others had seen his hand whip out with the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi ryu. He secretly thanked Hiko's training, even if he was nowhere near as fast as his Shishou just yet. He said 'Well, you can't have them now. Why don't you have some of these?' he held up a Pumpkin Pasty.

Harry seemed to have caught on. 'Go on, it's not exactly fair that you get nothing when we've got stuff to share. Besides,' he added with a smile 'I'm sure that these'll taste better than sandwiches that've been on the floor'

'Well, if you insist,' Ron said with a shadow of a grin, reaching for the nearest Pumpkin Pasty. Kenshin hid a smile and continued to eat his. It was delicious!

As Kenshin ate the numerous snacks he and his friends shared, he studied Harry from under his bangs. From what he could observe, he had none of the traits extremely famous people were known for. He was in no way arrogant. In fact, it seemed that he had been brought up largely neglected and mistreated. He seemed extremely uncomfortable by fame or excessive attention, unlike the stereotypical image of a celebrity. He seemed nothing more than an ordinary boy.

'Are these really frogs?' Harry was asking Ron. He was holding up a bag of something labelled "Chocolate Frogs." Kenshin wasn't all that surprised. From everything he had seen so far, it wouldn't have been a shock to discover they really _were_ frogs.

'Its just a spell,' Ron explained with a wave of his hand. 'But see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa.'

'What?' Harry asked, confused - a sentiment Kenshin shared.

'Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have card to collect inside. They're collectible and they have famous witches and wizards on them. I've got around five hundred- but I'm still missing Agrippa and Ptolemy.'

Harry unwrapped the Frog and, to Kenshin's utter amazement, the frog leapt off the wrapper. 'ORO!' the frog clambered up the window and leapt through the window. Ron watched in amusement at the thoroughly startled boys.

'They only have one good jump in 'em. That's rotten luck'.

Having recovered from his surprise, Harry picked out the card that remained lying in the wrapper.

'Hey, I've got Dumbledore!' Harry said.

'Our headmaster?' Kenshin asked looking over Harry's shoulder.

Dumbledore wore half-moon spectacles, had a long rather crooked nose that looked like it had been broken before, and flowing silver hair, beard and moustache. He looked like a benign, kindly wizard.

'Don't tell me you two've never heard of Dumbledore!' said Ron 'Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks-'

Harry turned the card over to read what it said.

Kenshin turned back to get some sweets while still listening to the conversation.

'It says here that he's "considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times!"' Harry remarked. He looked back at the card again with a slight frown. Flipping the card back over again he saw, to his astonishment, that the face had vanished. 'He's gone!'

'Oro?' Kenshin went over to inspect the picture. And just as Harry said, Dumbledore's picture was gone, leaving only an empty picture square.

'Well, you can't expect him to stay around forever, can you?' Ron said. 'He'll be back though. They always come back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got six of her… Do one of you want it? You can start collecting.' He went back to eating sweets.

Kenshin and Harry shared a confused look. Kenshin had been in a wizard's hotel for about a month, but he had never seen any kind of picture move in and out of portraits. But, as he was always either practising magic in his room or finding a forest to spar with Hiko, he didn't pay attention to pictures. But still...

'Ummm... in our world, you know, the muggle one, pictures don't move at all. They just stay put in the photo,' Harry said.

'Do they? What, they don't move at all?' This obviously got Ron's attention much better than the disappearing picture. Ron turned to Kenshin as if he expected him to refute Harry's claim. Kenshin nodded furiously too. _'Weird!_'

Kenshin saw movement out of the corner of his eye and watched as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and winked at him.

Kenshin and Harry had a brilliant time with the Chocolate frogs. Ron seemed more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the cards. The cards, however, entranced Kenshin and Harry. After having some fun trying to catch rogue enchanted frogs and swapping cards (as well as watching the people in them move about – one was even picking its nose!) Harry turned to open a pack of what was called 'Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans'

'Be careful with those' Ron warned 'When they say every flavour, they _mean_ every flavour! George even reckons he got a bogey flavoured one once.' Ron carefully picked up a green bean and tentatively nibbled it at one end. He pulled a face. 'Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts.'

They had a lot of fun with the beans. As they tested the large range of flavours, Harry was surprised by a grass flavoured one. Kenshin's eyes nearly watered at a very hot chilli flavoured one and was even brave enough to try a funny grey coloured one that turned out to be pepper, which had him choking for several minutes straight.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. A round-faced boy came in, his face rather tear-stained. 'Sorry, but have you seen a toad?' he asked tearfully.

Kenshin and Harry shook their heads, and Ron said, 'Sorry, mate.'

'I've lost him!' he wailed 'He keeps getting away from me!'

'I'm sure you'll find him sooner or later,' Kenshin said in what he hoped was a kindly voice.

'Yes, well,' the boy said sadly, 'if you see him...'

'We'll give him to you,' Harry said reassuringly.

The boy left miserably, also forgetting to shut the compartment door behind him in his grief.

'Dunno why he's so bothered. If I had to bring a toad to school,' Ron said, 'I'd lose him as fast as I could.' Ron sweat-dropped as the rat on his lap snorted loudly in sleep. 'But then,' he added 'I've brought Scabbers who's hardly any better than a toad. He could have _died_ and you wouldn't know the difference! I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting. But it didn't work at all. Here, I'll let you guys see...'

Ron rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a second-hand-looking wand. Kenshin could see something silver glinting near the end. 'It was Charlie's,' Ron reminded them. 'You can even see the Unicorn hair poking out of the end, it's so old-'

Kenshin had of course already tried a few more simple spells in his time at the Leaky Cauldron, but Harry apparently had not. He was interestedly watching. Kenshin felt a familiar ki and a new one approach. Just Ron had just raised his wand, a bossy voice said, 'Excuse me, have you seen Neville's toad?'

The newcomer was a girl around the their ages. She had very bushy brown hair and somewhat larger-than-usual front teeth. She was, like Kenshin, already in her Hogwarts robes. With her was the round-faced boy from earlier, who must be Neville.

'We already told him-' Ron, who had become the self-proclaimed voice of the trio, began, but the girl wasn't listening. She was looking at the wand Ron had raised.

'Oh! Are you doing magic?' she asked. 'Well, let's see it then.'

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback from her boldness. Kenshin had thus far deduced that people in the West were lunatic.

'All right,' Ron said a little uncertainly. Nonetheless, he cleared his throat and said the incantation:

'Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.'

Ron waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers was still fat, grey, and asleep.

'Are you sure that's a real spell?' the girl asked. 'Well, it's not very good, is it? All the spells I've tried have worked for me, thought, mind you, they were all simple ones. I'm muggle-born by the way- no magic in the family at all. It was ever such a surprise when my letter arrived. I was pleased though, of course. I mean, I've heard that it's the very best school of witchcraft that there is. I've learned all the course books by heart- I just hope that it will be enough - oh, I'm Hermione Granger, who are you three?'

She had said this very fast. Kenshin gaped slightly. He was surprised her complexion had not turned a bluish tinge, or that she hadn't passed out from lack of air. Harry and Ron just looked at each other.

'I'm Ron Weasley,' Ron muttered; he looked unnerved, like Kenshin, that Hermione had learned the course books by heart.

'Kenshin Himura,' Kenshin said, a little bit more politely than Ron's answer.

'Did you die your hair Kenshin?' Hermione asked. 'I don't mean to sound rude or stereotypical, but I thought it was natural for all Asians to have black, or at least dark hair. How is it that your hair is bright red?'

Yep, definitely lunatic. 'Ummmm...' Kenshin said nervously. 'I was born with my hair. I don't know why it's so different- probably from one of my parents.'

'Mmmmm…' Hermione hummed skeptically. And then she abruptly looked at Harry for him to give his name.

'My name's Harry Potter.'

She, despite being muggle-born like Kenshin, immediately recognized his name.

'Are you really?' Hermione asked. 'I know all about you – I got some extra books for background reading. You're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.'

Harry seemed stunned. 'I am?' he asked dazedly.

'Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if I were you.' Hermione said. 'Oh, by the way, do any of you know which house you'll be in?' Then, without waiting for an answer, she went on, 'From what I've heard, I think Gryffindor's the best. They even say that that was the house Dumbledore himself was in. I guess Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad either, but I'm hoping for Gryffindor. Anyway, Neville and I had better go look for his toad. And you two should change into your robes. You know, we'll arrive soon."

And then, she and Neville left; though, it was more like he followed her because Neville looked as if he had no idea what was going on.

'Bloody hell, does she even need to breathe when she talks?' Ron asked in awe.

'Who knows,' Harry said

'Anyway, I hope that whatever house I'm in, she wont be,' Ron said to Harry and Kenshin. He threw his wand back in the trunk. 'Stupid spell – George gave it me. Bet he knew it was a dud'

'What are houses?' Kenshin asked bemused.

'There are four, Hagrid told me,' Harry said. 'They're a bit like classes and you share living quarters with them. Let's see, there's Hufflepuff, Griffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin'. He turned to Ron 'What house were your brothers in?'

'Griffindor,' Ron said gloomily 'Mum and Dad were too. I dunno what they'll do if I'm not. Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad, but Slytherin…'

'That's the house Vol – er, I mean – you-know-who was in?' Harry said. Kenshin blinked. That was news to him!

'Yeah…' He flopped back on his seat, looking thoroughly depressed.

'So what do you do, you know, once you've left?' Kenshin asked, seeing (and feeling from his ki) depression settling in, and quickly decided to change the subject for him.

'You can do a lot of things,' Ron explained, looking a little bit less depressed. 'Like my brothers Charlie and Bill have already left school. Charlie's studying dragons in Romania. Bill's doing something for Gringotts in Africa.'

'I thought only goblins worked at Gringotts?' Kenshin asked.

'Bill's only working as a cursebreaker or something; he doesn't handle all the withdrawals and deposits most of the time. That sort of thing's better left to the goblins. They know how to hold onto gold best. Thinking of Gringotts, did you hear what happened at Gringotts over the holidays? It was all over the daily prophet – a wizard newspaper' he explained at seeing Kenshin's blank expression. 'I doubt you'd get it, living with Muggles – someone tried to rob the high-security vault.'

Harry stared. 'What happened to them?'

Ron's voice dropped into a conspiring tone. 'Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They didn't get caught. Dad reckons it had to be a powerful dark wizard to do it. That's why this is causing so much panic. Everyone's afraid that You-Know-who's behind it...'

Kenshin tensed slightly as he felt three ki approaching their compartment. Though these belonged to people who were perhaps no older than themselves, judging by the almost innocent side born by most children. However, there was darkness in them as well, which was putting his nerves on edge. These ki bore an arrogance- they weren't dangerous, but they were not benign either. Kenshin felt himself tense, ready for whatever would come, his eyes narrowed.

Harry immediately saw the change. As he glanced over at the red-headed Japanese, he saw not the usual soft eyes that he had grown used to, but narrow, hard eyes, glaring towards the door.

'Kenshin? Are you all right?'

Before Kenshin could answer, the compartment door slid open once more. But this time, it wasn't Neville or Hermione, but three boys, who stood in the doorway. The two at the sides seemed that they were miniature thugs. Both of them were thickset and looked rather mean. The pale one in the middle had the look of an arrogant, greasy aristocrat. Harry and Ron snapped round to look at them. Kenshin was sure that Harry's emerald eyes flashed in recognition. The pale one was watching Harry with a disturbing amount of interest that did nothing to settle Kenshin's nerves.

'Is it true? They're saying it all down the train. Is Harry Potter really in this compartment?'

'Yes,' Harry answered, his eyes straying to the other two boys, standing like bodyguards to the other boy. The pale boy noticed his glance.

'This is Crabbe,' he pointed carelessly over one shoulder to one of the boys. 'And Goyle' he pointed to the other. 'And my name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy'

Kenshin quickly hid a laugh, but Ron wasn't so discreet and gave a small, sniggering cough. Malfoy looked at him disdainfully.

'Think my name's funny, do you? Well, there's no need to ask who you are. Father told me about you Weasleys. Red hair, freckles and more kids than they can afford.' He looked at Kenshin, who was watching with all-seeing eyes. 'And who are you?' he sneered.

'Kenshin Himura,' he said coldly in return. He didn't like the look he was given, as if he was just dirt, nor did he like the boy's ki, the way it flashed as he said his name. The boy turned back to Harry.

'You'll soon find some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort.' He extended his hand. 'I can help you there'

Harry looked at the hand, but didn't take it. He looked back at Malfoy. 'I think,' he said coolly 'I can tell the wrong sort myself, thanks'

Kenshin felt anger flare as he saw the slight pinkish tinge on his cheeks. Slowly, almost threateningly, Malfoy said, 'I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either. You hang out with riffraff like that Hagrid and _them_ and it might rub off on you'

Harry and Ron stood up fast; Ron's face was as red as his hair. 'Say that again' he snarled. Kenshin watched as they stared at each other.

'Oh, are you gonna fight us?' sneered Malfoy. Suddenly, Kenshin laughed. Malfoy glared at him.

"Ahou" Kenshin growled before he said coldly. 'Your very bold with your friends. You wouldn't be, if you were alone' He stood to his full height, a little shorter than Malfoy, but it made no difference. 'Leave'

Malfoy paused for a moment, but quickly recovered. 'But we don't feel like leaving, do we boys? We've eaten all our food, and you still seem to have some left'

Goyle went to grab some food, but Kenshin lashed out quickly, sending him stumbling forwards. Suddenly, he let out a screech. Jumping backwards, he waved about his hand, which had Scabbers latched on firmly by the teeth. Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as one as, howling, he waved his hand around until the rat flew off his hand and Kenshin caught him quickly before it hit the window. The boys fled, as if they expected to be attacked by thousands of rats hidden within the mountain of candy. But then Hermione burst into the carriage.

'What has been going on?' she asked, frowning at all the sweets on the floor and looking like a strict teacher. Ron ignored her as he approached Kenshin to inspect the animal.

'Hey, good catch!' he said to Kenshin, his voice laced with respect before he picked up the rat by the tail. 'I think he's been knocked out… No, wait – I don't believe it! He's gone back to sleep!'

Everyone face faulted.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes.

.! Bloody hell - that was a long chapter for me! I never realised the train scene would be so long! And that was it being adlibbed too! Don't worry about the Kenshin-with-no-sword. Hiko has his plans. I want him to keep part of the story, even if he can't take an active role. Don't you Hiko fans worry!

Anyway, we're now getting to Hogwarts – and we're gonna meet the Kenshin-gumi, or at least part of it. Thank you for reading so far and I hope I don't disappoint! Questions, criticisms, you name it, please review!

Next time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Hogwarts is coming and the sorting is about to begin. Next episode: the magical castle and the sorting hat!

Ja ne for now, Minna-san! See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Chosha's notes Hello and welcome back minna! I hope you're enjoying RKatPS. I want to thank my reviewers: Wydinel Sheergale, Crazy Hyper Lady and stuck-in-a-tree. By the way, Stuck-in-a-tree points out that I haven't mentioned the time period of the fic – how much of a Baka Ahou am I? Well, for any of you a little confused, the story is set in the Harry potter time-line, so it would be in the semi-present time (HP is set in 1980's I think). So, that is also the time that the Kenshin-gumi is in too for this one. Just to get that cleared up. 

Please R and R! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was, never will be. Neither of 'em!

Last time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Kenshin Has started his journey by train to Hogwarts, Made new friends, got suspicious of Hiko and made an enemy. And he hasn't even GOT to Hogwarts yet!

Chapter eight 

The Magical Castle and the Sorting Hat

The train began to slow down as it finally got near to the train station. While Harry and Ron changed into their robes, Kenshin glanced out of the window. It was getting dark now – but he could just about make out the mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. It was a little like the mountain back in Japan that he had lived on for the past four or more years. Kenshin's heart leapt. He had never left that mountain for years now, but now he was almost at Hogwarts! Just the thought of everything he was going to learn set his adrenaline running.

A voice echoed down the train: 'We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.'

Both Harry and Ron looked rather pale as the trio crammed the last of the sweets into their pockets and joined the throng of students gathering in the corridor. When the train stopped, Kenshin tried not to be quashed under the pushing crowd and finally managed to get outside. The cold air chilled Kenshin after the warmth of the train, but ignored it as he followed Harry and Ron towards a familiar voice. He couldn't help but grin as Hagrid's hairy head beamed at both Harry and himself from over a sea of heads.

'C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years?' He bellowed 'Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!'

Slipping and stumbling, Kenshin followed the crowd down a steep, narrow path. Kenshin could barely see anything either side of the path and had a strange feeling he was walking past jet-black bushes and if he stepped off the path he would be caught in the branches. No-body spoke much, except for the occasional sniff from the toad-boy, Neville. So Everyone but Kenshin jumped when Hagrid boomed 'Yer'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. Jus' round the bend –'

A loud 'Ooooooooo' cut him off as the castle came into sight. All Kenshin could do was oro. Never in his life had he seen such a large building that could only be described as 'magic'. Thousands of turrets reached to the skies, while its many windows sparkled like fireflies in the darkness. It was perched atop of a high mountain across a lake, which sparkled as it reflected the shinning windows.

Hagrid pointed to dozens of little boats sitting on the shore. 'No more than four to a boat!' He announced. Harry and Ron climbed into one, quickly followed by Neville and Hermione. Kenshin found himself in the one behind them, followed by a girl with long, raven-dark hair in a indigo ribbon and pretty Sapphire eyes, and a tall boy with spiky brown hair that stuck up like a roosters, tided back in a red bandanna. Both of them looked like they were of Japanese decent.

'Everyone in?' shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself at the front, 'Right then – FORWARD!'

Kenshin gave a start as the tiny fleet all moved off at once, skimming over the water like glass. Kenshin settled down again and looked back at his companions. The girl smiled. After a moment she said 'Hi! I'm Kaoru Kamiya' and she extended her hand. Kenshin could feel he ki was light as a summer breeze, tinged a little with nervousness. Kenshin smiled back and took the offered hand.

Kaoru seemed pleased that Kenshin had responded in kind. 'I didn't know there would be anyone else from Japan here.' She said 'I moved here a few years ago with my dad. This here is Sanosuke Sagara – he's an old friend of the family.'

The rooster-headed boy grinned and raised a hand. 'Hey.'

'I'm Kenshin Himura' Kenshin replied. 'So, are your family's wizards too?'

Kaoru giggled. 'No. I think my mom may have been a witch, but I didn't know her too well. Dad's a Muggle – he's a Kendo instructor.' Kenshin wasn't too surprised. Kaoru, despite the lightness of her ki, there was also a strength that spoke of sword training. He was willing to bet Kaoru also studied Kendo from her father. Kenshin glanced at Sanosuke.

'Dad's a wizard.' He replied with a lopsided grin. 'He works for the ministry in something-or-other. What about you, Kenshin?'

Kenshin shrugged. 'I don't know. They died when I was little. Hiko – he's a bit like my adopted dad – he's a muggle though.'

They continued to chat about different things to pass the time. Kenshin learned that Kaoru was the assistant master of a Kendo style called Kamiya Kasshin-ryu and had a younger cousin named Yahiko who lived with them. Sanosuke was a bit of a gangster, back home, nicknamed Zanza – though he wouldn't elaborate. He was something of a freeloader at Kaoru's house, but was like an older brother to her. Kenshin also told them about Hiko and his arrogant nature, but decided not to tell them about the Kenjutsu. After all, real swords weren't exactly legal. Kenshin found he liked these two – he hoped that they would get in the same house. Then he could introduce them to Harry and Ron, who had been pretty silent through the trip. If Kenshin didn't know any better, he would say that most of the first-years looked positively sick.

'Heads down!' yelled Hagrid from his boat. Kenshin noticed they had reached the cliff and ducked to avoid the rocks. They were carried through a dark tunnel, which seemed to take them straight under the castle until they reached an underground harbour. Kenshin, Kaoru and Sanosuke clambered out of the boats onto rocks and pebbles, while Hagrid checked the boats. Kenshin caught the other boys' eyes, receiving a nervous smile from Harry and a grimace from Ron.

'Oi, you there' Hagrid called to Neville – who was still teary-eyed – and pulled out a rather large toad from the boat. 'This your toad?'

Neville brightened up immediately. 'Trevor!' he cried blissfully, holding out his arms. Toad now clamped safely in the boy's arms, Hagrid lead them by lamplight through a passageway into the cool night air. Climbing up the damp grass to a stone path, they eventually came to a flight of stone steps, leading to a huge oak door, big enough to have two Hagrids riding piggyback to get though easily.

'Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?' Hagrid nodded at the mumbled response and raised a gigantic fist, knocking three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once, causing a few to jump. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald green robes stood in the doorway. Her ki was as stern as her face and Kenshin knew immediately that this woman was not a person to cross. She surveyed the students for a moment before Hagrid said, 'The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall.'

'Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here'

She pulled the door open wide and Kenshin heard Sanosuke give a long, low whistle. The entrance hall put Gringotts to shame. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, but the ceiling was too high to make out. A magnificent, white marble staircase faced them, leading off into the upper floors. However, The professor led them past the stairs and passed large doors. There was sound coming from them – the other students must have already arrived. She showed them into a small room off from the hall and they all crowded in. Everyone seemed to be huddled together nervously. Their skittishness was making Kenshin uncomfortable. Finally the woman turned to them.

'Welcome to Hogwarts.' She said 'The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the great hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is an important ceremony because, while you are here, your houses will be your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.' She went on to explain what the four houses were and a point system which would go towards getting the house cup at the end of the year.

'The sorting will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up a bit while you wait.'

She looked disapprovingly at Ron's smudged nose and Neville's cloak tied under his left ear, before looking at Sanosuke's bandanna with the same look. Kenshin noticed Harry unconsciously attempt to flatten his hair. Kenshin didn't know what he looked like just then, and, to be honest, he was just feeling too nervous to really care. At least in a sword-fight you had your mind occupied. This waiting was making him go crazy!

As McGonagall left, small whispers broke out. Kenshin noticed Harry and Ron talking and could feel the green-eyed boy's ki peak in fear. He wondered what Ron had said to cause that reaction. He changed his mind as he listened to Hermione whispering about all the spells she had learned and wondering what she would have to do. He sweat-dropped and could feel Sanosuke roll his eyes and Kaoru silently fuming. _Jeez, Hermione. Can't you tell you're not helping?_ 'Oro…'

Just then someone screamed causing Kenshin to spun round and reach for his not-present sword. He gasped at what he saw. About twenty ghosts had just floated into the room _through the wall!_ They didn't seem to notice the children, arguing about someone – or something – called Peeves, until a ghost in a large ruff and tights finally noticed them. He saw Sanosuke look as if he was going to go into a screaming fit or something, the way he coward behind Kaoru. It had to be wrong somewhere for tough guys like him to cower behind girl's nearly half their size.

'New first-years!' a fat friar beamed at them. 'About to be sorted?'

Some nodded mutely, but it seemed to make the ghost happy. 'Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!' he said joyously. 'My old house, you know.'

'Move along now,' said a sharp voice as McGonagall returned and the ghosts left. Sanosuke relaxed visibly. Turning to the first years, McGonagall said 'Form a line and follow me.'

Stiffly, Kenshin found himself between Kaoru and Sanosuke and they followed in single file through the doors and into the great hall. Kenshin's eyes almost bulged out of his head at the sight. Thousands upon thousands of lit candles floated in mid-air over four long tables laden with glittering golden goblets and plates. Round these tables sat the other student. At the top of the hall was another table, where the teachers were sitting. Here, the first-years were led so they stood in a line facing the other students who stared at them. Kenshin shifted a little, feeling like a hare caught in the headlights. He glanced away from the staring eyes to see Harry staring at the ceiling. Confused, Kenshin glanced up too. His eyes widened as he saw the moon shinning back at him, stars glittering and the occasional dark cloud drift past. He heard Hermione tell anyone who would listen: 'It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I've read it in Hogwarts, a History'. Kenshin saw some students look at it doubtfully. He wasn't surprised. It still looked like they would get drenched if the heavens opened.

Kenshin switched his attention to look at McGonagall as she placed a stool in front of the first-years and, on top a rather battered old wizard's hat. Everyone stared at it incredulously, including Kenshin. But Kenshin stared for a different reason. He could feel a strange aura coming from the hat. Was it… magic?

As if in answer to his silent question, the hat twitched and a rip near the brim opened wide.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me."_

Kenshin fell over. Was that a talking HAT!

"_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all."_

Harry stared as the hat continued to sing. When he first saw it he wondered what they were going to do with an old and dirty hat. Thinking of all the magicians he saw when he was a child, the thought of pulling a rabbit out of it did come to mind. Relief filled him as he listen to the hat sing. They only had to try on a hat. That was easy.

"_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff_

_Where they are just and loyal_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Kenshin shifted uncomfortably as the hall broke into applause. Although he had to admit trying on a hat was better than having to perform any of the spells Hermione had spoke of, he still felt uncomfortable that the hat would have to look into his head. It was almost an invasion of personal space – the only real privacy he had ever had, living with Hiko. But Kenshin was too polite to protest. Now he was more worried about what House the Hat would put him into. Gryffindor didn't sound too bad – but he didn't feel overly brave. Neither did Ravenclaw – but with all the times Hiko called him a Baka Deshi, he assumed he wouldn't be smart enough for that one. He thought Hufflepuff sounded a bit… flowery, to put it nicely, but he thought he would die if he was put in Slytherin. The House Voldemort was in… he suppressed a shudder.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward now, unrolling a long roll of parchment. 'When I call your name, You will sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah!'

A pink-faced girl with pigtails stumbled out of line and sat down, the hat placed on her head, which fell over her eyes. A moments pause. Then-

'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the Hat. And the Girl ran over to a table where the students were clapping and cheering. Kenshin saw the fat friar ghost wave merrily.

'Bones, Susan'

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

And so it went on. Boot, Terry was the first Ravenclaw, along with Brocklehurst, Mandy. Brown, Lavender became the first Gryffindor, but Bulstrode, Millicent was the first Slytherin. The list went on until it reached-

'Himura, Kenshin!'

Kenshin took a deep breath and sat down on the stool as the Hat was placed on his head. Everything fell dark as it slipped past his eyes. He 'Oroed' as a soft voice around his ear spoke to him.

'Hmm…' the voice said. 'Interesting. Plenty of courage here, and a definite caring for the welfare of others. There's a lot of talent here, and a curtain amount of feral power. But where to put you, hmm?'

Kenshin froze. Not in Slytherin - He really hoped he wouldn't go there. The hat chuckled. 'No, not there. Although you do have potential for it, I would say you were better suited for… GRYFFINDOR!'

Kenshin heard the last word as it echoed round the hall and heard clapping from the Gryffindors. Sighing with relief, he took off the hat and placed it on the stool before going to join the table, where he immediately found himself being introduced to two identical boys Fred and George – Ron's elder brothers, as he recalled. Now settled, Kenshin watched the sorting and grinned as he saw Kaoru, Harry, Sanosuke and Ron were all sorted into Gryffindor too and Kenshin cheered loudly with the rest of them.

Finally, the last person – Zabini, Blaise – was made Slytherin and the sorting hat and stool was taken away. Then, a man sitting in the middle of the table stood up and smiled at them all, as if seeing them was the biggest gift in the world. Kenshin recognised the man immediately from the chocolate frog card. So this was Albus Dumbledore.

'Welcome! Welcome to a New Year at Hogwarts' He announced. 'Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

Thank you!' and sat down again.

'Oro?' Kenshin spluttered as Kaoru harmonised with a loud 'Huh?' Sanosuke just burst out laughing.

Kenshin almost fell out of his seat when the plates suddenly filled themselves with the most delicious assortment he had ever seen. Chicken, pork-chops, lamb-chops, sausages, bacon, steak, carrots, peas, gravy, all the different types of potatoes – even some Japanese food – and for some stupid reason, mint Humbugs. Kenshin was a little unsure at first, but when he saw everyone else tucking in and Sanosuke eating like there was no tomorrow, Kenshin thought it might be wise to have something before there was nothing left!

'Watch out everyone,' laughed Ron. 'Keep you hands and arms away from the rooster!' Sano snorted as the group laughed at the antics.

'It's much better than my cooking,' grumbled Kaoru, shooting daggers at everyone with her eyes. Kenshin hoped she wasn't going to take out whatever was bugging her out on him.

Sano leaned in and said, 'Yeah, well, that doesn't take much.' He jerked a thumb in her direction. 'Jou-chan's cooking is shi-'

Sano was cut off when Kaoru smacked him over the head with the pumpkin juice jug. 'You jerk! And if the foods so bad, why do you keep eating at my house – freeloader!'

It wasn't long before the remains of the food vanished, leaving the golden plates glistening as before - and the puddings took their place. All flavours of ice cream, apple pies, and jam doughnuts, jelly, Ohagi, rice pudding… the list was endless. Kenshin thought he would burst if every day had this much food.

Kenshin found himself drawn into convocation about families, while Harry listened on absently. He didn't contribute, but then everyone knew Harry Potter's background.

'I'm half an' half,' a boy with sandy hair named Seamus was saying. 'Me Dad's a muggle. Mam's a witch. A bit of a shock when he found out!'

Everyone laughed.

'What about you, Neville?' Asked Ron

'Er… well Gran brought me up and she's a witch.' Neville said nervously. 'But my family thought I was muggle for ages. My great uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off guard and force some magic out of me. I nearly drowned when he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier – but nothing happened 'til I was eight. Uncle Algie came for dinner and was hanging me out the window by my ankles when my Aunt Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go – but I bounced! All the way down the drive! Gran was so happy she cried. You should have seen their faces when I got my letter. Uncle Algie was so pleased, he bought me Trevor.'

Kenshin grinned a little. This Uncle Algie sounded a bit like Hiko when he was trying to teach Kenshin a new technique. Like when he was teaching him how to fall properly – he'd show him once, then throw him about the place until he was black and blue, but knew how to do it right.

Kenshin stopped short when he felt a flash of malevolent ki coming from the teacher's table and beside him, Harry winced and clapped his hands to his forehead.

'What's wrong?' asked Percy – Ron's older brother.

'N-nothing.'

Kenshin glanced up at the teacher's table where the ki had come from. There, near to McGonagall and Dumbledore was Quirrell in his ridiculously big purple turban, talking to a hook nosed teacher with greasy black hair. He glared passed Quirrell towards Harry, then caught Kenshin's eye, before looking away again. Kenshin felt chilled by the ki he sensed. What was it Hiko had said about keeping an eye on the guy with two ki signatures? To make sure he didn't kill anyone? Perhaps Kenshin should keep an eye on this guy as well. He seemed much more dangerous than stuttering professor Quirrell…

"Hey, Kenshin? Are you all right?" asked Kaoru, noticing Kenshin's tense form. Kenshin's eyes returned from a hard blue to violet again. He smiled at her – no point in getting her all worried on her first day.

"Daijobu, Kaoru-dono."

Kaoru blushed at the honorific. No one had ever addressed her in such a respectful way before.

As the plates cleared once more, Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again and the hall immediately fell silent. Clearing his throat, he said, 'Just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give to you.

'First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students – and a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well'

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked in the direction of the Weasley twins, who tried to look innocent, but were failing miserably.

'I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for his or her house-team should contact Madam Hooch.

'And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death.'

Some people laughed, including Harry and Sanosuke, but no mater how nonchalantly he said it, Kenshin could sense that he was telling the truth. This got his curiosity going. _What could be so dangerous in a school that could kill a person?_ His eyes flickered to Quirrell and the hawk-nosed teacher again. _Then again…_

'And now,' cried Dumbledore, 'before we go to bed, Let us sing the school song!' Kenshin choked. _Sing?_ But Kenshin couldn't sing a syllable!

The teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave an elegant flick of his wand and a long golden ribbon few out the end of it, snaking itself into words. 'Everyone pick their favourite tune,' Dumbledore said. 'And off we go!'

The school bellowed through the song and Kenshin was hard pressed not to clap his hands over his ears. For someone trained in the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu like himself, the senses were more acute – including hearing. Kami, the noise was deafening!

Finally the noise staggered to a halt, leaving only Fred and George singing a very low funeral march, which Dumbledore conducted with his wand until they, too, had finished. He was also the loudest to clap.

'Ah, music,' he sighed, wiping away imaginary tears. 'A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime - Off you trot!'

All the Gryffindors followed Percy through the crowds, out of the hall and up the marble staircase. Kenshin couldn't help but stare at the moving portraits (he could have sworn one of the girls in the picture had blown a kiss at him) and tried his best to memorise the route. But after Percy lead them through several sliding panels and hanging tapestries, Kenshin could have sworn that they had walked back on themselves several times.

'Oi, Kenshin,' said Sanosuke. Kenshin gave up trying to read the route and looked towards the taller boy. 'Was that Dumbledore guy off his rocker?' Kenshin smiled in answer.

Finally they reached the end of a corridor. There hung a large picture of a large woman, wearing a silk pink dress. As they approached, the woman turned to look at them regally and _spoke!_

'Password?' she demanded drolly.

'_Caput Draconis,_' answered Percy. The woman nodded and moved her hand outside the frame. The portrait swung forward to reveal a rounded hole in the wall. Without hesitation, the prefect climbed through the hole, hastily followed by the first-years, and they entered a large, rounded room full of squashy armchairs and a blazing fire flickered in the fireplace.

After directing the girls up one set of stairs to their dormitory, (Kaoru telling Sanosuke not to break everything before she left) Percy led the boys up another set of stairs into another rounded room – this time with seven four poster beds with deep velvet curtains. Their trunks, labelled in gold with their names, had already been brought up, along with Mika, Hedwig and Scabbers. As Kenshin approached, the barn owl hooted sleepily in greeting.

'Great food, wasn't it,' Ron said to them through his hanging. 'Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets.'

Kenshin smiled as he collapsed into the comfortable bed. In his whole life, he had never been in such luxury before. He couldn't remember his old home very well and the orphanage never really had a lot of money. Hiko, of course, had never really been the one for anything more than needed. He didn't even have a radio. Yet despite such luxury, Kenshin just couldn't get to sleep. What Hiko had said about Quirrell, the feeling behind that other teacher's ki, it kept running through his head. Would they really try to kill someone?

It was long after Neville and Sanosuke started snoring loudly that Kenshin lent against the wall and dosed off. And Harry, when he woke from a strange dream, was surprised to find the crimson haired Japanese sleeping upright with his head bowed and his hands twitching occasionally, as if in longing for a familiar object.

To be continued…

Dum, dum duuuuuuuum! Ehem… aaaaanyway, Kenshin is at Hogwarts and he should be having his first taste of real magic – which wasn't him performing it on himself… snigger. Just about the potential for Slytherin. Kenshin, as we know, becomes a hitokiri. Therefore, Kenshin must have some potential for ruthlessness to be able to survive it all for so long. I read somewhere about something of the brain that creates the instinct to hesitate before trying to kill someone – its like that even with soldiers, though it can be trained out of someone, so they will ignore it (brutalising in some cases). Well, there are people born, on occasion, who don't have that part at the front of the brain, so they will kill someone without hesitation if the situation arose. This doesn't make them evil, its just they don't have that instinct. I figured Kenshin could have been born without the instinct, so potentially has that ruthlessness, despite his gentle nature. Otherwise, Kenshin would be an all-round Gryffindor – even as Battosai, he was fighting for the freedom of the people and risked his life for others.

Oh and I had to get in the Kaoru-cooking bashing. It was too hard to resist! And I don't actually know if Kenshin can sing or not, but that would make him good at nearly everything!

Any questions, problems etc? Please review and let me know and I promise an answer (as long as it doesn't ruin the plot-line!)

Next time on RuroKen and the Philosopher's stone:

Lessons start, but what is with that hook-nosed guy? And a visit makes Kenshin a little uneasy with what he finds out. Next episode: To Test Fate – Classes Begin!


	9. Chapter 9

Chosha's notes

Hey again! Welcome back to RKatPS! A big thank you to my reviewers – Stuck-in-a-tree, LORD-BIG-DOGGIE, o.0, Kristy-chan, Dragonclan Warrior and Crazy Hyper Lady. On with the story!

To o.0: oh, Thanks for what you said. I'm glad my story helped to 'lift the veil of depression' as it were. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Spoilers alert for HP! I will be sticking mostly to the HP story line, but expect detours from it for my RK!

Disclaimer: sigh… do I have to keep saying it? (Receives glares from solicitors) Eep! Okay! Okay! I don't own them! Leave me alone!

Last time on RKatPS:

Kenshin finally got to Hogwarts! Put into Gryffindor along with his friends, he gonna get a taste of Magic life at the school. But something isn't right. Who is that hook-nosed teacher?

Chapter Nine

To Test Fate - Classes Begin!

Morning came and Kenshin found himself getting ready for his first-ever lessons in magic. The castle was absolutely huge. Their was over one hundred staircases – some of which moved positions just for the Hell of it, which got Kenshin, Harry, Ron, Kaoru and Sanosuke in trouble on the first day, because it changed to the third floor corridor and Filch caught them. Thankfully Quirrell came to the rescue and they got let off with a warning. Most of the ghosts – though shocking when they appeared out of nowhere - were quite helpful in pointing out the right direction. But the poltergeist Peeves made life a misery, with his teasing and practical jokes – though he made a hasty retreat when Kaoru began to pelt him with her schoolbooks. And this was all before they even got to lessons!

By Friday, Kenshin had had at least one lesson with most to the teachers and had a pretty good idea about each of them.

The tiny Professor Flitwick, who was even smaller than Kenshin and had to sit on a pile of cushions just to see over his desk, ran Charms lesson. Though it wasn't Kenshin's best class, it wasn't his worse. He liked the teacher, who made the lesson quite interesting. It was just the subject itself was quite hard. It wasn't all waving wands and saying silly words. Thankfully, he had read up on Charms at the leaky cauldron, so he wasn't as behind as some students.

Professor Binns ran History of Magic. It had been something of a shock to find that Binns was a ghost, but he had thought this would make it exciting. However, the only exciting thing was seeing Sanosuke sitting ramrod straight and literally running from the class at the end screaming about curses and being locked in a sewer by Tanooki. Binns was so boring he could keep droning on and on and wouldn't even notice if half the class left the lesson. Kenshin mostly did homework he missed in the lesson. Binns just couldn't compare to Hiko when describing how things happened. It didn't help that he already read the textbook and knew it like the back of his hand.

A dumpy witch with flyaway hair named Professor Sprout ran the Herbology class in the greenhouses outside. Here they learned about different fungi or plants and their properties. Kenshin was quite good at this class, having been taught about herbs and poisons by Hiko. But it was still a surprise when one of the plants tried to eat him, thinking he was an afternoon snack. He had to resist the urge to Doryusen it with his wand.

Just as he had thought when he first saw her, Professor McGonagall, who happened to be the head of the Gryffindor house and also ran Transfiguration, was a very strict teacher. The first day they had her, her first words were: "Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She had promptly turned the table into a pig and back. Everyone looked a little disappointed when they learned they would be turning matches into needles, once they finished copying long, complicated notes. Though they tried hard, only Hermione managed to turn hers grey and pointy. Kenshin's looked more like a cocktail stick and somehow or other Sanosuke managed to turn his into chopsticks ('What? I was hungry!' – Sanosuke)

Professor Quirrell ran defence against Dark Arts, also known as DADA, as he had said when Kenshin met him in the Leaky Cauldron. Kenshin really wasn't sure about this guy or this class. It was like a big joke and it seemed Quirrell didn't really know what he talking about. The room stunk of garlic, which he said was to ward off a vampire he met who wanted revenge, but all it seemed to do was to make everyone's eyes water and made them smell like garlic bread. Kenshin decided to stick to learning from the book. That seemed to be the safest way to learn. Kenshin still wasn't convinced the guy could handle someone shouting 'Boo', but even Sanosuke wasn't willing to try. He didn't want to get expelled for accidentally sending a teacher into a stroke.

But when Friday came, there was still one class they had not been to yet.

'What have we got today?' asked Harry as he poured sugar on his porridge. At Ron's shrug, Kaoru pulled out her timetable and checked it over. 'Double potion's with the Slytherins,' she informed them. She gave them a thoughtful look. 'I wonder what the teacher's like.'

'Snape? Snape's head of Slytherin,' Ron said 'They say he always favours them – we'll be able to see if it's true.'

'Wish McGonagall'd favour us,' Harry grumbled, remembering the mountain of homework she had given them on the first lesson.

'Can't be as bad as a ghost-teacher,' shuddered Sanosuke. 'I tell you – this keeps up and we're gonna wake up in the sewers!'

Everyone sweat-dropped.

Snape. So that was that teacher's name – the one with the malevolent aura. Somehow Kenshin couldn't help but fell a deep sense of foreboding – one he had been trained not to ignore…

Just then, dozens of owls flew into the room. The first morning, this had sent Kenshin all swirly eyed and oroing, but by now it had become routine. Apart from one letter Kenshin had sent to Hiko to tell him how things were – as instructed – Kenshin hadn't received post until both Mika and Hedwig fell to the table and despotised a letter in both his and Harry's laps. Opening it, he found it was the reply from Hiko, written in Japanese, which said:

_Baka Deshi,_

_Glad to hear you're behaving yourself. I didn't sell all that pottery just to have you sent back in the first week. Things have been quiet – exactly as I like it – but I am hoping you are still training – at least in ki sensing – until the arrangements have been made. I also hope you have been doing as I asked (It wouldn't be the first time if you aren't) and keeping an eye on that Quirrell person still. Even though he hasn't done anything yet, do not let down your guard. It is possible he is biding his time. Remember that no normal person should have two Ki signatures. Also, this other teacher you told me about: it seems as if he is also a potential enemy. Watch him closely and keep me informed, but stay out of trouble._

_Your Shishou,_

_Hiko Seijuro_

_PS. Make sure you don't wet the bed_.

Kenshin glared at the ending, but he couldn't help but wonder about a few things. He had known Hiko long enough to know if he was worried, even when the guy was at his most arrogant. And Hiko must definitely be suspecting something was coming. Perhaps that was why Kenshin himself was feeling such a sense of foreboding. And what did he mean by _until the arrangements have been made_?

Harry made a sound of exclamation, breaking Kenshin from his thoughts.

'Hey, Hagrid has invited us down to his house this afternoon in our free period. I didn't know you'd met Hagrid before, Kenshin,' Harry said. 'You want to come down later? He wants me to send back an answer.'

Kenshin grinned. He hadn't seen the giant man since the sorting. 'Sure'

He never realised how much he would need the trip to look forward to.

o0o

Kenshin walked into the Potions classroom, located in the dungeons and took a seat next to Harry's right while Ron took a seat on Harry's left. Kaoru occupied the remaining seat next to Kenshin, while Sanosuke took the last one on the row by Ron. Professor Snape came into the classroom soon after, his cloak billowing out behind him impressively.

'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making,' he began in a low, almost hissing sound. He spoke in barely more than a whisper. Kenshin could here it alright, but most of the students had to strain their ears a bit to make sure they hearing everything. 'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle frame, brew glory, even stopper death— if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.'

Sanosuke rolled his eyes, while Harry and Ron exchanged raised eyebrows. Hermione was on the edge of her seat – as if to prove to him that she was no dunderhead. Kaoru fumed, but Kenshin kept his eyes fixed on Snape, hard and cold as steel.

Snape took the register as the lengthy silence deepened around him. But when he got to Harry's name, he paused and Kenshin felt a spike in ki.

'Ah, yes,' he hissed softly, his black eyes glittering and holding the same amount of warmth as a steel dagger in the Antarctic, 'Harry Potter. Our new… _celebrity_.'

Harry looked silently mortified, while Draco Malfoy and his goons sniggered behind their hands. Kaoru shot them a glare.

'Potter!' he snapped suddenly. 'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood.'

Kenshin straightened slightly. What type of question is that to throw at someone in the first lesson? Unlike Hermione, not everyone had learned the course books off by heart.

Quietly, Harry said, 'I don't know, sir'

Snape just sneered.

'Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything, is it?' Ignoring Hermione's hand, Snape continued 'Then lets try again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?'

Kenshin could almost hear Sanosuke growing and see Kaoru mouth _this is unfair!_ Hermione raised her hand as high as it would go without standing and Malfoy was laughing so hard he looked like he would fall from his seat. Kenshin idly wondered how he would like it. He was sure Hiko would be more than happy to.

'I don't know, sir'

'Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?'

Kenshin clenched his fists, almost snapping his quill, his eyes, nearly golden, hidden behind crimson bangs. Even if a person read the book, how was someone supposed to remember _everything_ from it? He imagined hitting him with a Ryutsuisen, which caused him to smile grimly. Unfortunately, Snape saw that too.

'So, Himura – you think you can do better? Well then, what is the difference between monkshood and Wolfsbane?'

Kenshin glared at the man. He had thought Hiko was annoying. Next to this guy though, Hiko was the model man of the world. If he could make it through this lesson without ryutsuisening him through the floor, he would have to thank Hiko was as arrogant as he was.

Kenshin shook his head. 'I don't know, sensei'

Snape sneered and turned to Harry again, completely blanking Hermione, who was bouncing up and down by now with her hand in the air.

'Well, Potter?'

Harry was silent for a moment before saying, 'I don't know, sir. I think Hermione does, though. Why don't you try her?'

Sanosuke smirked at this, a few outright laughed. Kaoru beamed. Snape, however, looked like he had just sucked on a lemon. The ki spiked again, more violently this time.

'Sit down,' he snarled at Hermione, who dropped down, wide-eyed. 'For your information, Potter, Asphodel and wormwood create the sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the draught of living death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for Monkshood and Wolfsbane, they're the same plant, which is also known as aconite. Well, why aren't you writing this down!' Then he looked back at Harry. "A point from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter.'

Snape then paired them off and had them mixing a simple potion. Harry and Ron worked together, while Kenshin teamed up with Kaoru. Sanosuke was stuck working with Hermione. Not that it was helping Gryffindor or anything. He was criticising almost everyone except Malfoy, even Hermione, Sanosuke, Kenshin and Kaoru, who were doing it right.

'What are you doing, Himura?' hissed Snape. Kenshin looked up, almost glaring at his teacher. He got this feeling that he was on Snape's hit (or was it hate) list already. He was about to answer when a green cloud appeared. Neville somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron. Their potion was leaking onto the floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class had leapt on their stools to avoid the potion from disintegrating their footwear – or their feet for that matter. But Neville had already been soaked in the stuff and was now moaning in agony as large red boils leaped all over his body.

'Idiot boy!' Snape snarled as he cleared the potions with a wave of his wand 'Take him up to the hospital wing!' he spat at Seamus, who took the boy out hastily. Snape looked around the classroom, looking for someone to blame. Harry came into his vision.

"Potter, why didn't you warn them not to add in the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire? Another point lost from Gryffindor," said Snape. Harry was going to open his mouth to protest when Kenshin and Kaoru slapped their hands over his mouth. When it was safe, they let the boy go. 'Don't test fate,' she whispered to Harry. Harry nodded but glared at the man, hatred in his green eyes.

It was about an hour later when they left the dungeons into the light of the outside world again, but everyone was in low sprits.

'That was completely unfair, picking on Harry like that!' Kaoru growled as she stormed away from the building.

'People like that shouldn't be teachers,' Sanosuke added darkly. 'I hate people who pick on people just because they're weaker than they are.'

Kenshin stayed silent, while Harry looked dispirited. Ron was slower on the uptake, but saw the depression settling in on the dark haired boy.

'Cheer up,' Ron said. 'Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come meet Hagrid with you guys?'

At five to three, the four boys and Kaoru made their way across the grounds to Hagrid's house. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. It had a pointed, straw roof and smoke drifted lazily from the chimney. A warm, welcoming glow came from the windows and, leaning outside the large wooden door was a crossbow and a pair of galoshes.

Harry knocked on the door and the five were surprised to hear a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Sanosuke and Kaoru raised an eyebrow when they heard Hagrid's voice ring out, 'Back Fang – back!'

'Fang?' Kaoru questioned. Kenshin shrugged helplessly.

The door opened a fraction and Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared round the frame. 'Hang on,' he told them before disappearing inside again with another 'Back, Fang!'

'Oro?' Kenshin blinked as the door was pulled open to reveal Hagrid standing in the doorway, struggling to keep hold of the thick, leather collar of an enormous black boar-hound, which was almost as big as Kenshin himself. Kaoru let out a small 'Eep!' at the sight.

'Hello there!' Hagrid said cheerfully. 'Come in, come in.'

Everyone shot a nervous glance towards the dog before edging into the house.

There was only one room inside, not much bigger than the cabin currently occupied by Hiko on the mountain outside Kyoto. Hams and pheasants hung on high ceiling beams and a copper kettle was boiling on an open fire. In the corner stood a massive bed covered with a patchwork quilt.

'Make yerselves at home,' Hagrid said, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight for Ron and Sanosuke, flattening them as he licked at their ears – much to their protest. Kaoru giggled as the boys struggled with the bear-like dog, while Kenshin stifled a laugh. Like Hagrid, this dog was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

'That's Ron,' Harry told Hagrid in way of introduction. Hagrid glanced over as he poured boiling water into a large teapot.

'Another Weasley, eh?' chuckled Hagrid as he placed the pot and a large plate of rock cakes on the table, noticing who Harry was indicating. 'I spent half my life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest.' He glanced over at Sanosuke, who had finally disentangled himself from Fang, and Kaoru, who was laughing and stroking the dog's head. Kenshin got the hint.

'This is Kaoru Kamiya,' Kenshin provided as Kaoru gave a quick, 'Hi!' 'And the one with the bandanna is Sanosuke Sagara.'

Hagrid offered everyone rock cakes, but after nearly breaking his teeth twice, Kenshin gave up. He tried not to laugh when he overheard Sanosuke whispering to Kaoru, "Jeez, Jou-chan! I never thought I'd hear myself say this – but his cooking's even worse than yours!" Which promptly got him hit with stone-hard rock cake.

"Maa, maa," Kenshin said, holding back the steaming girl from pummelling the battered rooster-head any more.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were filling in Hagrid about their week so far. Sanosuke, despite the bump on his head, positively beamed when Hagrid called Filch, 'That old git'

'An' as fer that cat he has – Mrs Norris – I'd like to introduce her to Fang some time. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her! Filch puts her up to it.'

Harry continued to tell him about Snape's lessons, but like Ron, Hagrid didn't seem worried by the man's attitude towards him.

'But he seems to really _hate_ me,' Harry insisted.

'Rubbish!' scoffed Hagrid. 'Why should he?'

Kenshin glanced at Hagrid with serious eyes. _Why, indeed?_ He could have sworn Hagrid didn't quite meet Harry's eyes as he said it. He couldn't help but get even more suspicious when Hagrid asked Ron about Charlie's welfare in a poor attempt to change the subject.

While Ron was telling Hagrid about Charlie's work with dragons in Romania, Kenshin frowned. What did the giant man know about Snape that he wasn't telling? As he was thinking, Kaoru picked up her teacup and something caught his eye.

_What the-?_

Kenshin blinked at the piece of paper sticking out from underneath the tea cosy. Carefully he tugged it out and straightened out the wrinkles. 'Oro?' It looked like some kind of newspaper clipping. Harry blinked as Kenshin skimmed over the article.

_**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**_

_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31st July, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown._

_Gringotts goblins today insist that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._

_'But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you,' said a Gringotts spokes-goblin this afternoon._

Harry gave a start and snatched the patter from him.

'Hagrid!' he exclaimed. 'That break-in happened on my birthday! It might have happened while we were there!'

Kenshin straightened at this, while Sanosuke and Kaoru exchanged a startled glance. There was no doubt about it – even Harry and Ron had seen it. Hagrid definitely avoided their eyes that time. But what was Hagrid trying to hide from them? Perhaps he knew what was in that vault. But what would be so important that dark wizards would risk all those traps in Gringotts to get at it?

Kenshin looked into his teacup, watching his reflection frown back at him in the brown liquid. Something strange was going on, even by magical standards.

Too bad he didn't have a clue what…

To be continued…

(Dramatic music) … Okay! Chappy done! I can't think of muc to comment on right now for this chapter. But if you guys have a Question, complaint, criticism… you name it! Please review and I will do my best to answer!

Next time on RuroKen and the Philosophers stone:

Kenshin realises he has a lesson of a different sort on the way – Oro? Flying! Hiko also seems to be causing trouble and he isn't even there! Next episode: Of Swords and Broomsticks.

Ja ne! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	10. Chapter 10

Chosha's notes

Hey! Welcome back minna! A lot of people to thank for reviewing this time. I can't believe its so popular! (sniff, sniff). So, thanks to Draconic Ban-Sidhe, Sofie, Shauntell, Kristy-chan, Crazy Hyper Lady and Wydinel Sheergale. I won't keep rambling – this chappy has had a lotta people asking for it, so here we go! Please Read and Review!

Disclaimer: (raises eyebrow and crosses arms) Come on guys, we Know the drill by now…

Last time on RKatPS:

Kenshin had his first lessons, but Snape has already hit his 'Keep an eye on list' in only the first meeting! But something strange is going on outside Hogwarts too – someone broke into Gringotts!

Chapter Ten

Of Swords and Broomsticks

Kenshin never realised time could fly so fast. Before he knew it, it was almost two weeks since he had arrived at Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry. But he never saw anything like this before. As he and Kaoru made their way to the common room, they were startled to find a crowd of people hovering around what looked like some type of poster tacked to the wall. All of them seemed to be complaining about something.

Unable to see over the see of heads, Kenshin scouted for a familiar face in the crowd. He wasn't disappointed as he found Sanosuke, Harry and Ron among them. All three seemed to have identical storm clouds hovering over them.

'Uh, Sano? What's going on?'

Sanosuke glanced over at them before jutting his thumb towards the poster. 'We've got flying lessons Thursday – with that bastard Malfoy.'

'…Ah.' Now he got why everyone was complaining.

'It's just typical,' Harry mumbled darkly. 'Just what I always wanted – to make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy.'

'You don't know you'll make a fool of yourself,' Kaoru said encouragingly. 'And if it's anything like Kendo, everyone has to practice to get good. You'll be fine'

'Besides,' added Ron, 'even though Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, I bet it's all talk. He probably wouldn't know which end was which on a broom!'

That got a smile out of him anyway.

Malfoy definitely gave everyone a headache talking about flying. He complained loudly about the fact no first year could join the house teams and told everyone who would listen about his 'daring flying escapades', that always seemed to end in a narrow miss of a helicopter. He spoke of it so much; Sanosuke was on the verge of hitting him and cracked his knuckles every time he got within hearing range. But he wasn't the only one to talk of flying, Kenshin soon realised. Anyone who had a family member of wizarding blood seemed to be talking about it. Half of it left Kenshin swirly eyed. He felt like a total dunce – half the time he didn't no what they were talking about. However, even he had to smile at Hermione. Even though flying, like swordsmanship, could never be leaned from a book, Hermione had done her best to try anyway. She bored everyone stupid with un-helpful facts of flying.

Finally, the fateful day came and the Gryffindors hurried down to the grounds for their first flying lesson. The Slytherins were already down there, standing close to two rows of broomsticks. Standing with them was a grey-haired witch with piercing amber eyes – like a hawk.

'Everyone stand by a broomstick,' the witch, madam Hooch said 'Come on, hurry up.

Kenshin looked down uneasily. His broom was a very old one with twigs sticking out in different directions. He gently nudged it with his foot. It rolled over like good dog. Kenshin wasn't feeling very confident about flying anymore - not with this old thing as his transportation.

'Stick out your right hand over the broom,' called Madam Hooch at the front, 'and say 'Up!''

"Up!" everyone shouted. Harry and Kenshin seemed to be lucky. Their brooms jumped straight to their hands. Kenshin sighed - So far so good. He glanced around to see how everyone else was doing. Kaoru was about to have a hissyfit with her broom after the third try and it had stayed on the ground. As if feeling its impending doom at the hands of a raging tanooki, the broom shot to her hand too. Sanosuke wasn't doing much better, as when he said 'up,' his broom promptly hit him on the forehead. 'Ow!' Sanosuke glared at the broom this time while Harry attempted not to laugh. Well, at least it moved. Kenshin checked how everyone else was getting on. Ron got it about the second try. Neville's didn't move at all and Hermione's just rolled over.

Then Madam Hooch showed them how to properly grip and mount their boom. Sanosuke had snorted with laughter and Kaoru giggled, while Kenshin hid a wide grin when Madam Hooch told Malfoy that his grip was wrong and had been doing it wrong for years. He wasn't the only one. Harry and Ron were probably delighted as well.

'Now when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard,' said Madam Hooch. 'Keep your broom steady, rise a few a feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle—three—'

Kenshin watched as Neville suddenly pushed off hard before the whistle was even blown. Kami, he was too nervous for this, Kenshin realised with sick horror. No matter how many times Madam Hooch screamed, 'Neville Longbottom come down here right now', Neville would be too terrified to think properly. If someone didn't help him soon…

The broom was obviously out of Neville's control. It was rising higher and higher, slamming him into walls like a bucking horse. Neville was screaming in terror. Kenshin didn't know what to do – trying to reach him might just get him hurt more than he might otherwise. It continued to spin him round and Kenshin felt the fear spike higher as his fingers slipped on the wood.

'He's going to fall,' Kenshin yelled. But nothing could be done as Neville pitched sideways-

WHAM! Neville fell in a heap by the castle wall, a sickening snap barely drowned out by the gasps of the students. In seconds Madam Hooch was at Neville's side, checking to make sure the poor boy was all right. 'A broken wrist,' she mumbled. She then turned to the class. 'None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear.' She led Neville back to the castle as he whimpered in agony.

The students mostly hovered round each other, whispering urgently about what had happened. Kaoru turned to Kenshin. 'He'll be all right, wont he?' She asked, her face a little pale with worry.

Kenshin was about to answer when he saw something shinning in the sun. He turned to find Malfoy holding a clear ball up to the light, a smirk on his face. 'Malfoy…' He hissed. That was Neville's Remembrall he had received only that morning. Harry snapped round.

'Give it here, Malfoy,' He demanded in a growl. Everyone fell silent, staring at the two boys. Kenshin tensed. This could get ugly at any moment. Malfoy's smirk only widened as he snatched up a broom.

'I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find.' And he was in the air. So he wasn't just bluffing – he really was good. Kenshin hoped Harry wouldn't rise to the bait…

No such luck.

Harry snarled and snatched up another broom.

'Harry, you're going to get in trouble!' Hermione shouted, but he just ignored her as he pushed off. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Kenshin would have smiled. So, he shouldn't have worried about being a bad flyer – he was a natural. Ron whooped in admiration, while Sanosuke was yelling, 'kick his ass!'

Harry sped like a javelin at Malfoy, who managed to dodge by a hair. Most people gasped in horror, thinking Harry would strike the wall of the castle, but Harry spun round at the last minute and hovered in the air. He had to wonder about how Harry would fare with the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu – he seemed to have a good sense of balance at high speeds. Kenshin could feel a flicker of fear in Malfoy's ki.

However, Kenshin couldn't get much farther on that thought as Malfoy threw the Remembrall. Kaoru gasped and Kenshin dodged out of the crowd and sped towards the falling ball. Harry was too...

And Harry got there first...

'HARRY POTTER!'

Everyone froze and spun round to find McGonagall running towards them. Harry rose to his feet trembling. Her glasses were flashing dangerously. '_Never_— in all my years—," she started. Her face was red, her Ki flickering from fear, to amazement, to blazing anger. Even Kenshin cowered. "—How _dare_ you—might have broken your neck—"

"It wasn't his fault," protested Kaoru insistently.

'Be quiet, Miss Kamiya-'

'But Malfoy-'

'That's _enough_, Mr Sagara.' She snapped at Sanosuke. She rounded on Harry, who flinched. 'Potter, follow me, now," she said in a strict tone. Harry followed her glumly back to the castle. Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle, had looks of triumph on their faces.

As soon as the two had gone up into the castle, Sanosuke rounded on Malfoy, hauling him up by his collar. 'What the hell do you think you're doing, you bastard!' he yelled. Malfoy smirked, which just made Sanosuke angrier. He raised his fist.

'Sano!' Kenshin said in warning.

'Is there something wrong, Sagara?' Madam Hooch was back. Sanosuke looked livid. He glared at Malfoy and threw him back on the floor.

Eyes resting on Malfoy, promising a beating later, Sano growled, 'No, Professor…'

The lesson continued, but not very successfully. Many of the Gryffindors weren't paying attention, half-distracted from wondering what happened to Harry. Kenshin frowned at the handle of his broom. If he were expelled, it would be all Malfoy's fault. But then…no - it was probably his fault too. He should have tried to stop him…

Kenshin glanced back at the castle. Kenshin wasn't sure, but he thought he had felt some admiration from McGonagall. Perhaps he wasn't going to get expelled after all…

Hopefully…

Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke and Ron sat in the great hall for dinner, but none of them really felt like eating. Harry still hadn't returned and they were beginning to fret.

'I can't believe McGonagall,' Kaoru fumed, stabbing her steak-and-kidney pie vengefully. 'She wouldn't even listen to us! And it wasn't even his fault!'

Sanosuke cracked his knuckles and glared towards the Slytherin table. 'If he got 'im expelled, I mean it, I'll knock him out myself!'

Kenshin just played with his fork, not even bothering to try to calm the fight, too preoccupied at berating himself. So even he jumped when Harry dashed into the hall. 'Guys! You would not guess what just happened!'

Kenshin gaped. Was he _smiling?_

Kenshin could barely believe it when he got up to the Gryffindor common room. He felt like laughing. Harry, Gryffindor's seeker - It was almost too good to be true. Malfoy's plan had backfired. He had thought that McGonagall had been impressed. Obviously, this Dumbledore person was a lot more flexible than he had first thought.

He had left several minutes after Fred and George had done introducing themselves as being team-members as well. In all the worrying for Harry, Kenshin had forgotten about practising his ki sensing. Seeing as Kenshin didn't have his katana anymore, he could only practice his other things – like speed, agility and ki sensing. He was just about to begin when there was a tapping on the window. Kenshin blinked when he found Mika perched on the windowsill; a long package tied to her leg. She pecked insistently.

Scrambling up from the floor, Kenshin threw open the window and the barn owl flew in, dropping the parcel in his arms.

'Oro?' Kenshin gaped at the parcel. He had never received a parcel before. He was about to open it when he noticed a letter also tacked onto the brown paper. Quickly, he pulled it off and opened it. He blinked. It was from _Hiko_?

_Baka Deshi,_ (it read)

_I can't have you going rusty on me. I hope you have been training, because I want you to run through kata with this. Don't open it in front of everyone._

_Hiko Seijuro_

Kenshin face faulted. He sent him a _Katana_! So this was the 'arrangements' he had meant in his last letter. He knew he hadn't trusted the parting smirk Hiko had given him. Still, he wasn't going to get out of it now – Hiko was expecting him to practice. And he really enjoyed being able to move without being covered in bruises and breaks, thank you very much.

Kenshin bolted up into the dormitories and, making sure no one else was in the room turned his attention to the parcel clutched in his hands. Tearing at the wrappings, a sleek, jet-black sheath appeared as the paper fell to the floor. The hilt was silver, with black leather crossing over in the traditional way all katana's were made. Carefully, with skilful fingers, Kenshin slid the blade from the saya, the metallic surface shining in the sun steaming through the windows.

'Oro!' Kenshin gasped. The blade was on the wrong way! The curved side where the blade was meant to be was blunt, the sharp side residing on the blunt side. _A sakabato_, somewhere in his mind whispered, as if it had always known – a sword meant not to kill, but to protect other people. Kenshin grinned. Trust Hiko to come up with something like that.

Kenshin marvelled at it. Though the hilt seamed well worn, the blade itself was in such a good condition, it appeared to be new. There wasn't a scratch on it. Whoever had made this must have been the most gifted sword-smith in the world!

He made a few practice strokes. It seemed to slide through the air, despite the change in aerodynamics. It seemed to fit to his hand, as if made for him. Kenshin beamed. Now he could practice his Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, and he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally killing someone. He slid the sword back into the saya. He could hear noises from the common room now. Kenshin quickly slid it inside his trunk, underneath his spare robes. He would practice later. For now, he would just enjoy his little secret.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

I wanted to make this a little different from the book. As we know, Malfoy challenges Harry to a midnight duel in the book at the point I got Kenshin out. You'll see why later. Keep note it is based on the book, not the film, so if you haven't read the book (pfh! As if anyone hasn't!) then you'll note the differences. Plus there will be a lot of spoilers for you too.

So, Kenshin has his Sakabato. You just know things are gonna get nasty soon! Any Questions? Criticisms? Please review and tell me what you think. I'll try to answer as best I can.

Next time on RuroKen and the Philosophers stone:

Kami, Harry and Ron are worse than Kenshin for getting in trouble. You just had to raise to the bait, didn't you? Next episode: The Hairy Discovery

Ja ne for now! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	11. Chapter 11

Chosha's Notes

Welcome back Minna! I really need to thank my reviewers: Quiescent Vengeance, Meiji no Pan (and her RK muses!) asdfaj;, sofie, amaya, Kristy-chan, Shauntell, Draconic Ban-Sidhe and Crazy Hyper Lady! You guys are really supportive. I'm glad I decided to do this fic now!

Amaya: sorry about the slow updates on FF too, but I have had a little trouble with it at the moment. 'Star-crossed Past' chapter is so long! But I'm really starting to drag on it, so I need the boat trip to be shortened to one chapter instead of two.

Anyways, on with the show!

Disclaimer: (bangs head on the table. Nii-chan - little brother - looks at herin confusion)

Nii-chan: …what are you doing?

CK: what's it look like?

Nii-chan: Er… banging you're head?

CK: exactly.

Nii-chan:…

CK: (sighs and puts head in hands) Why do I bother! (turns to solicitors looming behind) Get it into your thick heads! I don't own RK or HP!

Last lime on RKatPS

Harry got in trouble, Sano nearly punched Malfoy out, Harry got Seeker on the team and Kenshin now has a Sakabato. (Wonder how long _that_'ll stay secret…?)

Chapter Eleven

The Hairy Discovery

"Kenshin! Wake up!"

Kenshin jolted awake as someone shook him urgently. His hand automatically went towards his trunk, until he realised he was staring into Kaoru's face in the semi-dark, Sanosuke standing somewhere behind her. Around him, Kenshin could hear snoring still. Blinking sleep from his eyes, Kenshin glanced at the clock on Seamus' bedside table. It was eleven forty.

"Kaoru-dono? What-"

Kaoru ignored the 'dono'. "It's Hermione. She's gone!"

"So's Harry and Ron." Sanosuke added, nodding towards the beds. Both of them were open and the covers were folded back messily. "I heard 'em plannin' it, but I never thought they'd go through with it. Definitely didn't think Ibarichirasu'd go too!"

"Go?" asked Kenshin, immediately awake. "Where'd they go?"

"After you left at dinner," Kaoru said, "That Malfoy guy came and started arguing with Harry and Ron. He told them that he could take them on any time and that they'd have a wizard's duel in the trophy room at midnight!"

Kenshin almost groaned. Kami! And Hiko thought Kenshin was trouble. At least _he_ didn't always rise to the bait. "I think we'd better go after them!" He said, jumping out of bed and snatching up his wand. "I don't think Malfoy was going to go."

Sanosuke swore and they bolted across to the portrait. As they burst through, Kenshin realised that the fat lady wasn't there. No going back now, then. They bolted down the corridor.

"Do you know where the trophy room is?" Kenshin asked as they ran down the hall.

"It's on the third floor," Kaoru panted. "I hope we get there in time – if they get caught, they'll get in trouble"

"Lets just try not to get caught ourselves"

They ran until they reached the stairs leading to the third floor before they caught up to Harry, Ron, Hermione and, surprisingly, Neville. They looked a little surprised when they saw who was running towards them.

'Harry!' Kenshin said as they came to a halt at the top of the third-floor stairs.

'Kenshin?' He gasped, putting a hand to his chest. 'I thought you were Filch! Don't _do_ that!'

Sanosuke smirked at Hermione. 'I never thought you'd be here.' Hermione looked as if she was about to throw a fit.

'I wouldn't _be_ here, but _they_ locked me out of the tower!' she answered stiffly, giving the boys a hard glare.

Ron and Harry face faulted. When they recovered, Ron almost yelled, 'You were the one following us! If you'd just keep your nose out…' Hermione merely huffed at this.

We've been waiting for ages now…' Neville whimpered. Ron frowned as he looked at his watch.

'Well, he's late.' He said, a half smile on his face. 'Maybe he chickened out?'

Suddenly, Kenshin clapped his hand over Ron's mouth, staring towards the end door of the trophy room. Behind it, Kenshin could hear footsteps – but not those belonging to the blonde Slytherin.

'Or maybe… he wasn't going to come at all,' Kenshin whispered darkly.

'Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking behind the corner.'

Everyone froze. _Filch!_ Kaoru mouthed, horrified. Harry waved at everyone franticly to follow him as fast as possible and they scurried round to the door farthest away from Filch's voice. Neville had barely managed to get round the corner when they heard Filch enter the room.

'They must be here somewhere,' they heard him murmur, 'probably hiding.'

Harry jerked his thumb down the gallery type hall filled with suits of armour. They could hear Filch getting closer. Terrified, Neville squawked in fright and started to run, but tripped into Ron, sending them both into one of the suits of armour. Kenshin winced as the armour clanged loud enough to wake the whole school.

No point in staying quiet now! 'Run!' yelled Harry and they bombed it down the corridor, bolting through hallways and doors, not knowing where they were going, or if Filch was following. They finally came to a halt near the Charms classrooms – miles away from the trophy room.

Harry leaned against the wall, trying to get his breath back. 'I think… we lost him,' he panted slowly. Neville wheezed, bent double and too out of breath to reply.

'Malfoy tricked you,' Hermione said in an I-told-you-so voice. 'You realise that don't you? He was never going to meet you – he must have tipped off Filch.'

'Do me a favour,' growled Sanosuke, too tied to deal with Hermione's bossy attitude, 'And shut up.'

'We've gotta go back to the Tower,' said Ron, ignoring Hermione, 'and fast!'

'Lets go,' Kaoru said.

Easier said than done. They hadn't gone more than two paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out at them from one of the classrooms.

'Peeves!' Ron gasped.

The poltergeist squealed delightedly at the sight of them. 'Wandering around at night, ickle firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, Naughty, you'll get caughty,' he sang.

'Not if you don't give us away we wont! Please, Peeves,' begged Hermione.

'Should tell Filch, I should,' Said Peeves in an innocent voice, the effect completely ruined by the devilish grin on his face. 'It's for your own good, you know.'

'Get out of the way,' snapped Ron and took a swipe at him.

…Big mistake.

Peeves opened his mouth and bellowed 'STUDENTS OUT OF BED! Students out of bed down the charms corridor!'

Kaoru grabbed Peeves and yelled, 'You are so dead, you jerk!'

Sanosuke grabbed Kaoru and they bolted under Peeves and slammed into the door at the end of the hall.

'Locked!' Kenshin gasped. Filch was running fast towards Peeves' shout

'That's it!' Ron moaned. 'We're done for!'

'Oh, move over,' Hermione shoved him out the way. Raising Harry's wand, she said 'Alohamora!'

The unlocking spell! Kenshin remembered this from when he had practice at the leaky cauldron, but he didn't have time to reflect on the past. They piled into the room and shut the door just as Filch rounded the corner.

Harry and Ron pressed their ears against the door, trying to hear if Peeves would give them away. From the time it was taking, Filch seemed to be having problems getting information from the poltergeist. Perhaps Kaoru's threat had worked. Kenshin sighed as he lent against the door, but froze moments later.

'He thinks the door is locked,' Ron mumbled.

'It _was_ locked,' Hermione said shortly.

'And for good reason…' Kenshin gasped. Everyone spun round to see what Kenshin meant. Kaoru bit back a scream.

They weren't in a room. Far from it. They were in the forbidden corridor!

And now they knew why it was forbidden…

They were staring into the gleaming eyes of a monstrous dog with three, snarling heads, each the size of a mini. The whole corridor was filled with furred torso. All six eyes were staring at them with feral intensity. Kenshin didn't need ki sense – he could see the wild hungry look gleaming in its eyes and flashing on dagger-sharp teeth. The only reason they weren't dead was because they had caught it by surprise. But the effect was fast running out. A rumbling growl broke from the trio of throats. Kenshin was seriously regretting the decision not to bring his sakabato.

Harry groped for the doorknob and flung the door open. They darted through just in time as the heads shot towards them, slamming the door behind them just as they struck. They bolted.

Kenshin didn't know how they got back to the tower. Neither did he care. All he could think about was that monstrous dog. People with guns, swords - even wands - that he could deal with. But a three headed dog!

The fat lady's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as they dashed up the corridor. 'Where on earth have you been?' She spluttered.

'Never mind that – pig snout, pig snout!' panted Harry. The portrait gave them an odd look before it swung forward and they fell into the room in a pile on the floor. For a moment, no one said anything. Poor Neville looked on the verge of a heart attack.

'What the hell _was_ that!' Sanosuke moaned from his position on the floor.

'What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school!' fumed Kaoru, vain throbbing. Hermione glared at them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'You don't use your eyes, do you?' she snapped. 'Didn't you see what it was standing on?'

'I wasn't staring at the floor!' Ron snarled 'I was too preoccupied with its heads!'

'It was standing on a trap door, so it's _obviously_ here for a reason,' She continued. 'Its guarding something.'

Kenshin blinked. 'Guarding something…?' he repeated.

Hermione stood up in a huff. 'Well, I'm going to bed, before one of you comes up with _another_ clever idea to get us killed – or worse, _expelled_.' And with that, she stormed up the stairs and slammed the door behind her, leaving the others to stare at the space she left incredulously.

After a moment, Ron breathed, 'She _really_ needs to sort her priorities out…'

'Ororo…'

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

So, the plot thickens. I wanted Kaoru to have an argument with Peeves, but there wasn't enough time to get them all away from Filch. Perhaps another time…

By the way, Sano called Hermione 'Ibarichirasu', which means 'bossy'. Perfect nickname for her. Of course, she does get better! (Winces at the stormy Hermione glaring over Chosha's shoulder).

Not much more to comment on, but if you have Questions or something, review and tell me. I'll always do my best to answer!

Next time on RKatPS

_Troooooooll! In the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon!_ Kenshin is in a tight spot as Halloween rolls round, and Hermione is missing…

Ja ne! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	12. Chapter 12

Chosha's notes

Konnichiwa! A special thanks to my reviewers: Shauntell, plutobaby494, JoshRin, Kristy-chan, Quiescent Vengeance, Meiji no Pan and Crazy Hyper Lady so Arigato!

Anyway, by popular demand, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: (eyebrow twitches) have a guess… I mean, it's only been said FOR THE PAST ELEVEN CHAPTERS!

Last time on RKatPS:

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville disappeared, which left Sano, Kenshin and Kaoru to track them down. However, while hiding from Filch, the whole lot of them make a rather terrifying discovery – one of the snarling, three-headed kind…

Chapter Twelve

Halloween

At breakfast the next morning, the five had something of a pleasant shock. Not only had Malfoy done the most amusing impression of a landed fish when he saw that Harry and Ron were still students at Hogwarts and not on the first train back home, but Harry had received a long parcel too. At first, Kenshin had thought it was some sort of sword, but when Harry had opened the letter, grinning from ear to ear as he passed it to them, he had realised it was in fact not a sword, but a broomstick. And by the way Ron was nearly drooling over the brown-paper parcel, Kenshin could safely conclude it wasn't just _any_ broomstick, either.

However, the moment had been somewhat spoilt by Hermione, who refused to forgive them for 'dragging her along' on last night's escapade and had snapped, 'I suppose you thing that's a reward for breaking the rules!' Which lead to something close to a confrontation between the bushy-haired girl and the redheaded Weasley. When Hermione had stormed off in a huff, Sanosuke gave a long, low whistle.

'Oh man, and I thought Jou-can was bad.'

Kenshin prepared himself to scoop up everything breakable from the table in case Kaoru decided to throw it at the rooster-head. However, she just ignored him. Frowning, she said, 'Well, it wasn't exactly our fault. If anything, it's that jerk Malfoy. But she doesn't have to take it out on us.' She glanced at Harry and Ron. 'But you really have to be careful. I know we got lucky _this_ time, but who knows what will happen next time.'

'Don't you start,' Ron grumbled. 'We've got enough from bloody-miss-know-it-all – we don't need it from you too.'

Kaoru looked as if she was going to throw a wobbly there and then, but Kenshin quickly reminded her that the teachers were watching. Mentally he sighed. Although Hermione was something of a know-it-all, she _was_ trying to stop them doing something they might regret – a little like Hiko did at times. Too bad she just didn't know how to do it in a way the person would respond in kind. _That_ was something no one could learn from a book.

Time seemed to have speed up for Kenshin after the encounter with the three-headed dog. In fact, two months had flown by since they had started Hogwarts. It was something of a shock to the system when they realised Halloween crept up on them and pounced. However, the situation between Hermione, Harry and Ron hadn't improved one wit in that time, even by Charms class that day, which everyone had been so excited about. Professor Flitwick had informed them they would be making objects fly, which everyone had wanted to do since the tiny professor had made Trevor the toad zoom around the room like a slimy green aeroplane. Kenshin himself was feeling particularly confident about the lesson that day. After all, he had practised said charm almost to death at the Leaky Cauldron.

'Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising!' squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. 'Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too— never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.'

Everyone had been split into pairs. Kenshin was working together with Sanosuke, while Harry was working with Seamus. Kaoru had been pared up with Lavender Brown– another girl from Gryffindor. Unfortunately, Ron had been pared up with someone he thought was nearly as bad as being pared with Malfoy if he was in this class. He was pared to Hermione.

Sanosuke frowned in annoyance at the feather that had refused to move. Kenshin had offered to do a demonstration for him, but the bird-headed boy had issues with this feather. As a last ditch attempt, Sanosuke poked the feather with his wand, seeing if prodding the feather would get it float in the air, despite Kenshin's frantic protest-

_**BOOM!**_

'ORO!'

The feather burst into flames, scorching the table. Both Sanosuke and Kenshin went into a panic and started to put the fire out with their hats. It left a black ring of ashes on their desk and Sanosuke was covered in soot from the neck up. He let out a weak cough, making a small cloud of smoke. 'Remind me… _never_ to do… _that_ again,' he wheezed.

'Ororo…' moaned a swirly-eyed Kenshin beside him.

Harry, seeing the mess, did them both a favour by grabbing another feather from Flitwick.

Meanwhile, Ron wasn't faring much better. Especially after several unsuccessful tries and looking something like a human windmill as he tried to get the feather of the desk.

'You're saying it _wrong_,' snapped Hermione after the fifth attempt. 'Its Win—_gar_—dium Levi—_o_—sa. Make the "gar" nice and long.'

Ron glared at her and snarled, 'You do it, then, if you're so clever.'

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her robes, flicked her wand, and proclaimed, '_Wingardium Leviosa!'_

Their feather slowly rose into the air, hovering a good four feet off their desk. 'Oh, well done!' cried Professor Flitwick, clapping and jumping up and down lightly on his pile of books on his stool. 'Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!'

Ron looked just about ready to stuff the feather right in her mouth to see if it would shut her up.

By the end of Charms, Ron was in a foul mood.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron mumbled darkly as he, Harry, Kenshin, Sanosuke and Kaoru walked through the crowded corridors. 'She's a nightmare, honesty.'

Suddenly someone pushed past them. Kenshin just caught sight of their face as they fled. His eyes widened. It was Hermione.

'Hermione-dono!' Kenshin gasped. There was no need for any of them to sense ki. Her face was practically screaming misery in her stance, tears flooding down her cheeks. "I think she heard you," said Harry, looking concerned.

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed that she's got no friends." Kaoru glared daggers at Ron, before looking worriedly after the crying girl.

…Hermione never turn up to lessons for the rest of the day.

o0o

The great hall was decorated in the Halloween spirit. Thousands of live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling, swooping low over the tables like black clouds. Jack-o-lanterns threw eerie shadows over the walls. The golden plates were soon filled with the largest array of food that Kenshin had only ever seen once that rivalled it, and that had been at the sorting feast. The decorations were so amazing that Hermione was swept from everyone's minds.

Kenshin was just about to dig in (before Sanosuke ate everything) when Quirrell burst into the hall, the wide doors almost slamming into the walls. "Trrrrrroooooollllllll," he was screaming. "In the dungeons! Troll in the dungeons!" everyone fell deathly silent, staring at the man in shock. He stood in the middle of the room.

"Thought you'd like to know…"

And he fell flat on his face in a dead faint.

Silence. Then-

Panic broke out, screams and shouts – it was a complete uproar. It too several purple firecrackers from the end of Dumbledore's wand for the silence to return.

Calmly, Dumbledore said, "Prefects, lead your houses back to their dormitories. The teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

Percy ordered all the Gryffindors to the common room. Kenshin frowned a little. How could a troll get in? From what Ron had said, trolls were famous for being a little slow to say the least. It couldn't have got in on its own…

They were about half way there when Kenshin noticed two ki that were very much missing in the crowd of semi-panicked students. Kenshin froze. They _wouldn't_…

He spun round to see Harry and Ron sprinting off in the opposite direction. Kenshin realised with a jolt that Hermione, who had been missing since they last saw her running off, didn't know anything about it at all. _Kami-sama!_

Kenshin was about to run after them – they wouldn't be able to handle a troll on their own if it had moved from the dungeons - when Sanosuke hissed, "Where the hell are you going!"

Kenshin turned to look over his shoulder. "It's Hermione-dono. Harry and Ron – they went after her. _She doesn't know_!" Sanosuke swore. Kaoru's eyes went wide, her hands jumping to her mouth.

And they bolted down the corridor after Ron and Harry.

_Kami-sama!_ _Please don't let us be too late!_

_o0o_

Kenshin tried not to jump as Sanosuke let out a stream of colourful curses that would have made even Hiko blush. Kaoru was looking as though she was about to hit him for scaring her, barely suppressing a loud 'Eep!' Not that Kenshin could blame either of them. Oh, they had caught up to Harry and Ron no problem. It was what else was there, the sight and smell before them, was enough to make him go cold on the inside.

A foul stench that smelt as though moulding socks had mated with an unwashed public toilet seat made Kenshin want to gag. But what made him turn pale was grunting and stomping towards a petrified Hermione, who was shrinking in terror beside the far-most wall - Not one, but two of the most hideous creatures Kenshin had ever laid eyes on. Both of them were at least twelve-foot tall, their knobbly, dull, granite-grey heads almost brushed the ceiling of the girls' bathroom. Their legs, thick as tree-trunks crunched the tiles of the floor. Piggy, beady black eyes were fixed on the brunette, while a wooden club the size of a log dragged along the floor in both of their thick, clawed hands.

'Hermione, Move!' yelled Harry, but this barely got her attention. She looked ready to faint. However, the two other occupants heard and began to bumble towards them. 'Confuse them!' Harry told them, quickly running to dodge the swinging clubs.

Kenshin darted towards Kaoru and swept her from her feet as the club crashed down to the floor. Tiles exploded, dust rising in clouds. Ron, who had ran round away from Harry, Hermione and the other yelled 'Oi, pea-brain!' and lobed a piece of the pipes at the trolls. However, only one turned to see what had made the sound. Sanosuke swore as he vaulted himself to the left, narrowly avoided getting his head crushed by the club of the second, furious troll.

Kaoru, seeing the opening as Kenshin dashed back to try to help Sanosuke, ran to Hermione, shaking the girl's shoulder. 'Hermione! Come on! You have to run!' But the girl was too scared to move. Franticly, Kaoru pulled her arm. 'Hermione!'

'Kaoru-dono!'

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin's horrified yell, just in time to see one of the trolls go berserk, smashing its club blindly in their direction. She yelled and pushed the girl down, just as the club swiped at their heads, taking down several cubicles with it, covering them in wood and dust. Hermione screamed.

Kenshin almost felt sick with fear when he saw the girls disappear in a cloud of smoke. _Kaoru-dono!_

Something happened then. Something in him snapped, as if something that had been restraining something deep inside broke. He felt an icy calm wash over him. His eyes were no longer the soft violet they had always been.

They were amber.

He jumped out of the way of the swing of the troll's club. _If I don't want us all to get killed I better do something about it now._ Kenshin snatched up one of the Pipes lying across the floor from where Ron had thrown it. Roughly, it was the exact size and shape of a katana – Perfect. Kenshin struck the pipe towards the ground.

"Doryusen!"

Pieces of blade-sharp tile flew at the troll with the power of a truck, stabbing into thick, grey hide. The Troll howled in pain and rage, crashing round from Sanosuke, who had been clutching hold of the club in a desperate attempt not to be crushed from the swing it had aimed at him, sending the rooster-headed boy flying into the wall. The Troll roared and swung for Kenshin with all the strength it could muster. Kenshin leapt out of the way, sending the troll off-balance.

Now!

Kenshin flipped in the air, landing against the wall feet first, pushed off towards the ceiling, his makeshift sword raised.

"Ryutsuisen!"

Kenshin dived down, his 'sword' sent crashing home onto the creatures head with all the force he could muster. Bone crushed beneath him, a howl of agony abruptly cut off as he sent the thing crashing headfirst through the floor, tiles exploding around him. As the smoke cleared, the tiles had rippled away, the creature's head missing in a mass of stone and tile.

Kenshin landed with feather-lightness beside the mass.

One troll down.

Meanwhile, Harry had seen Hermione and Kaoru disappear under the dust and did the only thing he could think of to distract the other troll. He did a great, running jump and latched himself to the troll's neck, the wand in his hand thrust into the troll's nose. It howled, waving its club round as it aimed for Harry, who could do nothing but hold on for dear life.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Ron's quick thinking just managed to save Harry from being crushed by the berserk troll's club. The troll's club floated in mid-air, yanked from its grip. Slowly, it turned in the air, hovering - before landing on the troll's head with a loud, sickening crack. The troll swayed and fell flat on its face with a 'boom' that echoed over the walls, sending Harry vaulting from its back and rolling to the floor.

Silence. Only the panting of the children and the spray of water from broken taps could be heard. Kenshin groaned as he touched his head, which had begun to pound. When his eyes opened, they had become amethysts once more, as if the smouldering amber had never been.

Kenshin glanced round at the others from his place on the floor, where he had knelt to gain his breath once more. Sanosuke was hauling himself from the floor, his rooster-like hair drooping from the weight of the debris. Seeing Kenshin's eyes on him, ne smirked and gave him the thumbs up to show he was okay. Harry was cut a little from flying bits of tile and a little shaky, but Ron looked a little shell-shocked, wand still raised as he merely stared at what he did.

Kenshin felt fear rise in him for a second, until Kaoru and Hermione burst from under the debris, looking a little worse for wear – their ropes were literally white from the dust and pieces of tile. Kenshin sighed in relief.

Hermione stared at what had been done. One troll crashed halfway through the floor, the other lying over the other side, flat on its face. A little shakily, she said, 'Are they… _dead_?'

'I don't think so,' said Harry, slowly. 'I think they're only knocked out.'

Sanosuke looked at Kenshin, admiration in his eyes. 'Shit, Kenshin! That was so cool what you did!'

Kenshin smiled a little shakily. It had happened a little fast, it would take a little time for the events to catch up with him. 'Th-thanks.' He glanced at Kaoru and Hermione. 'Are you both okay?'

'I've been better.' Kaoru said as she dusted herself off, until she saw his face. Her eyes widened. 'Kenshin! You're bleeding!'

_I am…?_ He couldn't remember getting hurt. Kenshin glanced into one of the cracked mirrors, seeing blood on his left cheek. Funny thing was, he didn't hurt. Raising a hand, Kenshin brushed his fingers over the blood, seeing it come on his hand, but there was no cut present on his face. 'I don't think its mine, Kaoru-dono.' Kaoru was looking at him as if she didn't believe him. Kenshin smiled and waved his hands franticly. 'Really! I'm fine, de gozaru yo!'

Kenshin wiped the blood from his face with the sleeve of his robes – just as footsteps could be heard dashing towards bathroom. Kenshin stiffened, while Sanosuke groaned, 'Oh…crap!' They hadn't realised what a racket they had been making, but how could they not have. Two trolls had literally distorted the walls and cubicles and had been knocked out with the force of an atomic bomb. Of course it was going to make a little noise! Mere seconds later, Professor McGonagall burst into the room, closely followed by Snape and Quirrell. Quirrell whimpered and slid to the floor at the mess.

Snape bent over the trolls, examining them closely. McGonagall looked so angry, even Kenshin flinched. For a moment, there was silence. Then-

'What on earth were you thinking of? You were lucky you weren't killed!'

Kenshin tried to look anywhere but at the fuming teacher: at the walls (the tiles broken into almost human shaped form where Sanosuke had been thrown), Ron (who still had his wand raised) – anywhere. His eyes rested on the lower robes of Professor Snape. Then he saw it.

Blood was on his robes, which were shredded, as if ripped by large, powerful jaws. His eyes widened, before the robes were swept across his leg. The Potions master shot him a death-glare. Kenshin's eyes narrowed in return. What the hell was he up too?

'It was my fault Professor – they were looking for me.'

Kenshin blinked in surprise and glanced towards the hesitant voice. His eyes turned the size of saucers.

'Miss Granger!'

Hermione avoided her eyes, still a little pale. 'I went looking for the troll because I – I thought I could deal with it on my own, cause I've read all about them.'

Ron's wand clattered to the ground and Kenshin almost fell over. _Hermione_ was _lying_? And to a _teacher_! Was she sick or something?

Hermione took a deep breath. 'One troll was bad enough, but then another one showed up. If they hadn't come for me, I'd be dead by now. Sanosuke and Kenshin distracted one and Kenshin knocked it out with a pipe, Harry stuck his wand up the other's nose and Ron knocked that one out with its own club. They didn't have any time to fetch anyone – they were going to finish me off when they found me.'

The others nodded insistently, trying to look as though they weren't on the verge of a heart attack from Hermione's out-of-character act and that the story wasn't new to them. McGonagall turned to Hermione and scolded her, taking five points from Gryffindor 'for her foolishness'. Kenshin was confused. Why was she doing this for them? It was as if Snape was dressed in pink, throwing flower-petals and telling everyone 'I wove you!'

Hermione quietly took the scolding and left for the common room as instructed. The others froze as McGonagall turned to them.

'Well, I must say you were lucky, all of you. But not many first years could have taken out one fully-grown mountain troll, let alone two. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go.'

They hurried out of the chamber, but not before Kenshin had heard the teacher say, 'Those Trolls sure did a lot of damage. They even ripped the tiles from the floor.' Kenshin cringed. Especially since that was his fault. Kami, he hoped he wouldn't have to pay the bill for fixing the toilets!

Just as they rounded the corner, Kenshin felt a flash of malevolent ki. Kenshin almost froze at the feel of it. Such a vicious, cold, malevolent taint that made his blood run cold. That second ki! Was it…Quirrell who let the trolls in? That second ki…?

'Kenshin…?'

Kaoru blinked, realising Kaoru was looking at him with concern. Kenshin smiled. 'Sorry. It's nothing. Come on.'

The girl returned the smile and set off. As soon as her back was turned, Kenshin looked back at the teachers with hard narrowed eyes. The three headed dog, the tears in Snape's leg, the flash in the dormant ki Quirrell shouldn't even have… what did it all mean?

Kenshin hurried after the others. Whatever it was, Kenshin _was_ going to find out. He just hoped his intuition was wrong…

Reaching the fat Lady, they said the password and climbed inside. The common room as packed and quite noisy. Food had been sent up and everyone was eating. However, away from all the crowds stood Hermione, waiting silently by the door. For a moment, they looked at each other in embarrassment. Then-

"Ummm... thank you," whispered Hermione. "For coming to rescue me…"

"Psh," blew out Sanosuke, then grinned, exchanging a look with Ron and Harry. "Don't go all mushy on us. We saved your life, so in return stop acting like a bossy know-it-all, all right? You'll make friends a lot easier.'

Hermione blinked in surprise. Kenshin smiled in agreement. 'Anyway, you go us out of trouble with McGonagall.' Kaoru said with a smile. 'Lets call it even, ne?'

Hermione smiled, tears in her eyes.

'Thank you…'

To be continued…

Chosha's Notes

Can't think of anything to comment on just yet. But, if you guys have a question or comment for me, please review and I will do my best to answer!

Next time on RKatPS

Kenshin's confused, Harry is a wreck. Whats up? Next episode: Quidditch begins!

Ja ne for now! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	13. Chapter 13

Chosha's Notes

Hey minna! Welcome back once more. As usual, I would like to thank by beloved reviewers: Shauntell, JoshRin, Kristy-chan, Quiescent Vengeance, R.K.R., Crazy Hyper Lady, Wydinel Sheergale, MysticSuperSaiyanGohan and stuck-in-a-tree. I'm so happy its getting such a good response. One thing though. I have had people mentioning spelling errors. I would like to say this might be due to differences in spelling of words in British and US. As I was and am born, bread and living in the UK, I will therefore be using the British spellings, rather than US. Sorry if it put anyone out. Anyway, on popular demand, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: (twitch, twitch) won't lose temper with baka ahou solicitors… just look at the other ones!

Last time on RKatPS

How could a troll get in? they're meant to be really stupid – hang on – _two!_ Kenshin and the gang kicked troll but as they went to save Hermione, but Kenshin is also worried about just how deep these teachers are going…

Chapter Thirteen

Quidditch begins!

It was still dark outside, several hours till morning, and most people were still asleep. Everyone, that is, except for Kenshin. Kenshin stared up at the red hangings of his bed, listening to the light snoring resounding somewhere outside of the crimson velvet, frowning in deep thought. No mater how much he tried, he couldn't shake off the feeling of foreboding he had had since he laid eyes on the three-headed dog behind the door of the forbidden corridor, since the Trolls at Halloween. Since he saw the blood on Snape's leg and felt the terrible malice of the second ki. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared, because he was. Things were just getting weirder and weirder – even by magical standards – and Kenshin was sure it didn't bode well. He remembered what Hermione had said after they had discovered the three-headed dog. He knew she had meant to put them off, so they wouldn't get into trouble and prevent them from looking for more danger, but her words had lit a fire of dark curiosity in him since then. As Kenshin had recalled, Harry had mentioned he and Hagrid had emptied a safe at Gringotts, which was targeted by the dark-wizard who broke in the same day.

The words of Hagrid rang in his head. _Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yer want ter keep safe – 'cept maybe Hogwarts_. Did that mean whatever had been in that safe was now here? If it was true, that could mean several things about two rather conspicuous teachers who were already definitely on his keep-eye-on-at-all-times list. Whatever it was, it was either very dangerous or very valuable – perhaps even both. If it _was_, though…

Kenshin bit his lip. The only thing he could think to do was send a message to Hiko. Even if Hiko couldn't tell him exactly what the mysterious thing passed the trap door could be, or why Snape seemed to have tried to go passed the dog. Nor why Quirrell's second ki had reacted so violently, he could certainly advise him on how to handle the mystery that seemed to unravelling right before his eyes.

Kenshin crept out of bed, desperate not to wake the other boys, who were still snoring away behind the crimson hangings of the four-poster beds. Moving like a shadow, Kenshin slipped out of the dormitory and made his way down the staircase to the semi-darkness of the Gryffindor common room. The only source of light came from the embers of the fire. Outside, a few rays of sun peeped over, creating a dark outline on the Horizon, overcast by a pinkish sky. However, it would be several hours before even the earliest of risers would stir.

Quickly, Kenshin drew up a seat by a desk close to the window and lit a small candle. A small pool of light bathed the workplace. Kenshin pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from his yukata. Laying them out on the table, Kenshin dipped his quill into the ink and scribbled his message in Japanese, so no one would get suspicious of him if a fellow Gryffindor saw it before he could take it up to Mika in the owlery.

_Shishou,_

_You said you wanted to be kept posted about anything strange that might happen to do with the professor with two ki signatures and the hook-nosed teacher. I don't know if this is something you meant but something really strange is going on here. _

_By accident, really, my friends and I came across a giant, three-headed dog in the corridor on the third floor several nights ago. Though most of us didn't notice, Hermione-dono saw that it was standing on a trap door, obviously guarding something. Harry suspects that it could be guarding what he and Hagrid-san took from Gringotts – the same day someone attempted to steal the same item. They say it was some dark wizard, because even though they didn't get hold of it, they weren't caught either. Its strange, because it's the first time it has ever happened. _

_Hagrid-san mentioned to me once that Hogwarts is possibly the only place safer than Gringotts. I've got a feeling Hagrid may have got wind of it and 'emptied' the vault before the thief could get to it. But to have a giant, three-headed dog to guard it… it must be very valuable or else dangerous to need such precautions. _

_However, last night on Halloween, two trolls had been let into the School. They couldn't have got in themselves, as Trolls are meant to be extremely stupid. But I have a feeling it was some type of diversion of some kind, because when Snape and the other professors came into the room where we stopped the Trolls, I noticed blood on his leg from a wound that looks suspiciously like teeth marks. Then that dormant ki of Quirrell's seemed to have a strong reaction to the defeat of the Trolls. I have a bad feeling – Is Snape and Quirrell in this together? I'm not sure what this is all about yet, but I have a feeling it's all linked._

_Your Deshi,_

_Kenshin_

_P.S. Thanks for the Sakabato. I'll try to keep it secret and I'll make sure I continue to train. I have a feeling I might need it more than ever sooner than I thought._

By the time Kenshin had finished, the sun was beginning to peak above the horizon of the forbidden forest, casting ominous shadows across the grounds. He could sense that some of the Gryffindors were beginning to stir in the dormitories. Kenshin scooped up his writing equipment and folded the letter – he would have to wait until after breakfast to go to the owlery and get it to Mika. Ghosting back up the stairs, like a draft in the corridor, Kenshin put the things back in their original places, tucking the letter within the folds of his robes. By the time the others had begun to groggily draw back the velvet hangings, it looked as if Kenshin had never left the room at all.

o0o

Just before breakfast, Kenshin began to make his way up to the owlery, residing in one of the tallest towers of Hogwarts. However, he barely got out of the portrait hole before he heard someone call his name. Kenshin turned to see Kaoru run up to him.

"Hey! Are you going to the owlery?" she asked, indicating the paper in his hands. At Kenshin's nod, she smiled. "I'll come with you. I needed to send a letter home. My dad wanted me to give him regular updates and make sure I'm practising Kendo."

Kenshin laughed as they made their way up to the tower. Her father sounded a lot like Hiko in that sense then. "You have an owl?" he asked curiously.

"No, but McGonagall showed me how to use the school owls."

The climbed up the tower to the owlery. It was a rather draughty room that reached so high you could fit a giant in there and still have headroom. The walls were lined with box-like perches where the birds slept. The floor was littered with mouse bones, feathers and bird-poo.

As they entered, two birds immediately flew down to great them. One, Kenshin recognised, as his Mika. The other owl was a Hawk-owl with amber eyes. Kaoru giggled as she allowed him to perch on her arm.

"I've used this one before – his names Hweel, I think," She said. "And he's a real softy" The owl tilted his head and hooted suggestively. Kenshin laughed and obliged to stroke the owl's soft, brown feathers. For a moment, they said nothing, until, "So, who are you writing to? Your foster father?"

Kenshin almost choked at that. Hiko his _foster father_? Somehow he couldn't see Hiko taking that too well. Besides, Hiko was his Shishou, not his foster father. Technically, Kenshin wasn't even legally adopted. He was thought dead by the Japanese government, for crying out loud. But then again, trying to explain all that just then would take way too long and take him to things he really didn't want to think about. Memories like those he had locked away to protect his own sanity, determined never to open again. Instead, he nodded.

"Yeah. Hiko said to keep him posted on how things are."

"I tried to leave out the details of the Trolls. I don't think dad would be too pleased, though." Kaoru laughed as she mimed someone yelling/nagging with her hand. "He'd never let me hear the end of it!"

Kenshin laughed a little nervously. Yeah, let's not tell her his shishou and he thought that their potions and DADA teachers were off their rockers and trying to steal the whatever-it-is behind the three-headed dog then. He would definitely not approve of that!

Carefully, Kenshin attached the letter to the silver ring and stroked Mika's feathers. "Take this to Hiko, Mika. You know where to go."

Mika nuzzled against his fingers and nipped him affectionately. Kenshin lead her to the wide window and lifted the owl to the air. A sharp flap of silent wings lifted her and she swooped away into the sky, followed by Hweel. For a moment, they both stood in silence, watching the birds go, their forms little more than dots as they flew on silent wings. Finally, Kaoru turned to Kenshin.

"We'd better get down to the great hall then. If we don't get there soon, Sanosuke will have eaten everything!"

Kenshin laughed at this and they began to go down to the great hall, while Kaoru continued to talk.

"Did you hear about Snape?"

Kenshin froze momentarily, something that went unnoticed by Kaoru. "What about him?" he asked cautiously.

"Only that he took that book Hermione had lent to Harry to calm his nerves about the game today – Quidditch through the ages."

"The one Hermione kept quoting when we had flying lessons?" Kenshin asked, recalling the name. Since the incidents with the Trolls, Hermione had become much nicer towards them. She had even got round to 'helping' Harry with his homework because of all the extra practice he had to go to. She would read through it all and help out if things were missing. Basically, she did the homework for them.

"That's the one. Well, when you went to finish that Homework you needed to do. Snape came up to us outside and started moaning about library books not being aloud outside and took it off him, as well as taking off Five points. Bet he made it up. The strange thing is, he was limping too."

Hmm, so it looked like Kenshin wasn't the only one to have seen the wound. Kenshin tried not to blush as she voiced his little white lie about the Homework, though. He had gone to practice his Kata at the edge of the forbidden forest, away from prying eyes. He wasn't going to get himself in trouble by telling everyone he was going to practice Kenjutsu. He didn't think the others would be so pleased to know he was practising a style meant for war. He had barely got away with the incident with the Trolls, saying he used his wand to make the rocks fly.

"I hope Harry'll be alright. You know, it's the first game of the season – Gryffindor verses Slytherin. He seemed rather uncomfortable yesterday."

Kenshin really didn't blame him. When Ron had found out last night that Kenshin had absolutely no clue on what in the world Quidditch was, he had began to explain all the rules of the game. With those flying, cannon balls called Bludgers zipping round trying to knock off all players and complex game-play seemed to be rather dangerous. Added to the fact the players were fifty feet or something in the air – it was a recipe for disaster. Kenshin was just glad he had both feet on the ground. But Kenshin had also seen Harry fly too…

"Harry will be fine," Kenshin assured her with a smile as the entered the great hall. They spotted Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sanosuke sitting somewhere along the middle of the table. Harry looked as white as a sheet.

'You've got to eat some breakfast,' Ron was trying to coax him. It looked like the thought of food was just making Harry feel worse.

'I don't want anything.'

'Just a bit of toast,' Hermione wheedled.

'I'm not hungry.'

Kenshin could literally feel worry coming from the boy in waves. Kenshin bit his lip. Harry would be fine, right? Pre-match worries, nothing to worry about, right?

"…I hope. Ororo…"

o0o

Eleven o'clock rolled by and Kenshin found himself in the front row of the Gryffindor stands, along with Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Kaoru and Sanosuke. They had all figured Harry would like the support, so they had all pitched in making a banner from one of the sheets Ron's rat had ruined. It said in flashing letters (by a tricky little spell Hermione had found) 'Potter for President', accompanied by a large rampant Gryffindor lion.

Kenshin had been eager to see Quidditch for himself ever since Ron had explained the rules to him, but he was also worried about how it would turn out for Harry. He was seriously hoping nothing went wrong for him today. It would do him loads of good to have his confidence (or what little he had) knocked on the first try…not.

Down below, Madam Hooch, who was going to be the referee for the match, came out onto the pitch, broom in hand, followed by the two teams. Kenshin scanned the team in red (Slytherin would be playing in green) until he spotted the smallest player there with messy black hair. Kenshin made sure he cheered loudly along with his fellow Gryffindors. Harry glanced up at the stands as the two team captains – Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint – shook hands with fixed expressions. Kenshin noticed him give a start at the banner and could just make out a semi-nervous grin.

Suddenly, they weren't on the ground any more. Fifteen brooms shot into the air faster than cannonballs so it was hard for even Kenshin to keep his eyes on them. The game began!

Kenshin had never seen such a game in his life. It was like Football; Netball and flying all rolled into one. The players were little more than scarlet and green blurs on the field. Kenshin found himself hooked, caught in the spirit of the game along with everyone else. Lee Jordan, a friend of the Weasley twin was commentator for the game, though professor McGonagall was keeping her sharp eyes on him, as he had the tendency of slagging off the Slytherin team (much to Sanosuke and Ron's enjoyment). Gryffindor were the first to score. Angelina Johnson did a spectacular piece of flying, dodging a stray Bludger aiming for her head and threw the Quaffle at the keeper, who flew in the wrong direction; the red ball flying threw the hoops. The cheers were almost deafening, drowning out the moans from the Slytherin side.

'Budge up there, move along.'

Kenshin tore his wide eyes away from the action to see Hagrid shuffling through the crowd. Quickly, they made room for their giant friend.

'Bin watchin' from me hut,' Hagrid explained, tapping the large binoculars round his neck. 'But it ain't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the snitch yet?' Ron shook his head.

'Nope. Harry hasn't had much to do yet.'

Kenshin glanced back up at Harry, who had been gliding over the game like a hawk, his emerald eyes scanning the pitch for the tiny golden ball. The only time he had really moved was to do a few loop-the-loops to show his feelings when the team had scored.

Suddenly, the two seekers shot like javelins towards the tiny golden flash. Harry was catching up. Neck and neck, Harry closing in—

BAM! Marcus flint swerved in front, sending Harry spinning off course. The Gryffindors were fuming, screaming fouls, while the referee yelled at Flint, giving the Gryffindors a free shot. In the confusion, the snitch had been lost.

Meanwhile, back at the stands, Sanosuke was flashing very rude hand signals towards the Slytherins, while Dean Thomas screamed 'send 'em off ref.! Red card!'

Ron rolled his eyes. Dean was something of a football maniac. 'This isn't football,' he said in exasperation. 'You can't send people off in Quidditch – and what's a red card?'

Kenshin ignored them as they complained about the rules of Quidditch and turned his attention back to the game, his eyes narrowed. Harry seemed fine, so Kenshin found himself hard pressed not to burst out laughing when he overheard the commentary. It seemed Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

'So – after that obvious and disgusting piece of cheating –'

'Jordan!' growled McGonagall, her eyebrow twitching.

'I mean, after that open and revolting foul –'

'_Jordan, I'm warning you –'_

Jordan flinched from the steaming teacher. 'All right! All right! Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor seeker, which could happen to _anyone_' Kenshin snorted at the sarcasm. The commentary continued fairly normally from then on as Alicia Spinnet took the Quaffle.

Kenshin suddenly froze as he felt a strong flare of magical energy coming from the teacher's booth. Kenshin gasped and spun round, staring. Harry's broom had given an almighty lurch, almost sending Harry flying. Again and again. Kenshin hissed in horror.

…_Just make sure he doesn't try to kill anyone_…

'Harry!' Kenshin yelled as he was thrown off the broom, hanging on for dear life. Kenshin spun round and snatched the binoculars. _Kami, please don't be what I think this is!_ Kenshin spun to the area he had felt the magic coming from, half-tugging Hagrid over as he did so. Quickly he scanned the teachers and almost swore at what he saw. Snape and Quirrell were chanting something under their breaths. They were cursing the broom!

Seconds latter Hermione snatched them from him. 'I knew it! Snape – look! He's jinxing the broom! We need to break his eye contact'

'Do you have that blue fire from break yesterday?' Kaoru asked urgently, inspiration striking.

'Yes,' Hermione said, immediately pulling it out of her robes, as if knowing what she needed it for. Ron looked confused.

'What're you gonna do?'

'Just leave it to me!'

She began to push her way out of the crowd. 'No, wait!' Kenshin yelled, but Kaoru was already gone. 'Dammit, why doesn't she ever listen!' He fumed under his breath. He gripped Sanosuke. 'Sano! It's not just Snape! It's Quirrell!'

'What!' Sanosuke grabbed the binoculars, literally pulling Hagrid over despite his protests, almost squashing Ron and Hermione. He swore sulphurously. "Kuso! Kenshin, what're ye gonna do?"

Kenshin bit his lip, Looking back up at Harry, who's broom was now jumping out of the way of the twins who had flown to help, sending him even farther from the ground. "I just hope Kaoru can distract him as well. We've got to trust Kaoru-dono."

Meanwhile, Kaoru raced up the stairs to the teachers' box. 'Why does there have to be so many stairs!' she complained silently. If she didn't hurry… Soon she reached the top, just under the seats of the teachers. She could see their robes through the wooden, benches. 'Which one is Snape's coat?' She muttered, biting her lip. She soon saw the flowing pitch-black cloak Snape was so fond of. As silently as possible, she unscrewed the blue fire from the jar and tipped it onto Snape's cloak. It fizzed for a second, before the small flame began to burn into a larger fire, feeding on the black robes. She bolted quickly as confusion ran through the teachers' box.

"Severus! Your cloak!" yelled one of the teachers. Snape gave a start and began to beat out the fire, knocking down several of the other professors in his frantic state; Quirrell was one of them, much to Kenshin's relief as he and Sanosuke stared through the binoculars.

Meanwhile, Harry was speeding towards the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick—he hit the field on all fours. Everyone froze. _Kami-sama!_ Kenshin thought in horror. _Was Kaoru too late? Kami, don't let him die!_ He prayed. _Don't let someone else I know die…_

Harry coughed— and something gold fell into his hand. Kenshin stared. "I've got the Snitch!" Harry shouted, waving it above his head.

The game ended in complete confusion.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

I think it wasn't too difficult, but I cant see much to comment on in this chapter. But if you guys have anything you wanna know, please review and I'll help you out.

Next time on RKatPS

Kenshin trys to figure out the mystery unravelling, but has a bone to pick with a certain Slytherin. On the idea of Shauntell – next episode: Malfoy Meets His Match (a dedicated chapter to reviewer Shauntell for her idea!)

Ja ne for now Minna-san! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	14. Chapter 14

Chosha's Notes

Hey! Welcome back minna-san! Here is the chapter that I dedicated to a Reviewer who gave me the idea for the chapter: Shauntell! (round of applause). Hopefully, I pulled it off okay. Before we get into it though, I wanna thank all my reviewers: Kristy-chan, Shauntell, Sekamu, R.K.R., Dragonic Ban-Sidhe, Quiescent Vengeance, Crazy Hyper Lady and MysticSuperSaiyanGohan!

A small note – I won't have access to a computer for about a week, so the next update will be slower. However, this will give me the chance to write more on both this fic and my other ongoing Fading Futures! Just so you won't be disappointed.

Disclaimer: … (Nii-chan: Chosha's sulking. I think you should read the other disclaimers)

Last time on RKatPS

Trouble came during a Quidditch match and now both Kenshin and Sanosuke are sure both Snape and Quirrell are up to something…

Chapter Fourteen

Malfoy Meets His Match

(Dedication to Shauntell)

After the Quidditch match had finally realised Harry had indeed caught the snitch and come to a confused halt, Kenshin found himself sitting in the Library, his thought buzzing. He could hardly believe what had just taken place. Both Quirrell and Snape, supposedly Professors at the magic school, had just cursed Harry's broomstick and almost killed the boy in the process. Harry was now down at Hagrid's with Ron and Hermione, getting a strong cup of tea after his traumatic experience. Kenshin had not wanted to overcrowd the green-eyed boy, so he, Kaoru and Sanosuke were now gathered in the Library, all grim faced at what had just occurred.

"You mean to say that Snape _and _Quirrell were cursing the broom?" Kaoru gasped as Kenshin and Sanosuke finished explaining what had happened while she had gone to set fire to Snape's cloak. They were talking in Japanese to avoid alerting the few students drifting around the room, thus alerting the entire school – news seemed to travel dangerously fast.

Kenshin frowned out the window. "Aa. But I don't know if they're working together or not. Shishou warned me that there was something strange about Quirrell – something that makes him more dangerous than he seems." He frowned at the incredulous looks he was getting from the raven-headed girl. "I'm not crazy!"

"Sumimasen. I never said you were. It's just… It is a little hard to believe."

"What's hard to believe?" Sanosuke asked calmly. "I mean, think abou' it - it probably all an act. Just like in the movies – perhaps he's just doing an act until its too late."

"For once, Sano does have a point," Kenshin agreed. "Would you suspect a man who seemed to be scared of his own shadow? Besides, If he weren't trying to kill him, why would he have been chanting like that? I've read about curses – you have to keep eye contact – and neither Snape nor Quirrell were blinking."

"But why!" Kaoru yelled, almost sending Kenshin and Sanosuke into frenzy as Madam Price, the resident Librarian glared in their direction and 'Shushed' very loudly. Kaoru flushed in embarrassment and whispered a bashful 'sorry' while Kenshin Oroed before continuing in a lower voice. "Why? I mean, why would they even _want_ to kill Harry?"

Kenshin hesitated. Should he tell them about what he had deciphered from the past several weeks? He glanced over at them, seeing their determined expressions, still waiting for an answer. Kami, if they didn't have ki sense, they must be able to read Kenshin like a book! Kenshin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "…I think it may have something to do with whatever the three headed dog is guarding."

The other two stiffened at this. "Guarding…?" whispered Kaoru, her sapphire eyes wide. She exchanged a glance with Sanosuke. "You don't think…?"

Sanosuke just sore sulphurously.

Kenshin nodded grimly, already catching on to their train of thought. "I think that Snape has already attempted to get passed the dog if that wound is anything to go by. I think that perhaps Quirrell might have let the trolls in as a diversion at Halloween – so Snape would be able to go passed the dog himself. Thankfully, it looks as if they failed."

"But then…" Kaoru looked around at them fearfully, as if worried they would overhear. "What is it they're after?"

Kenshin met her eyes solemnly. "I don't know, Kaoru-dono. I just don't know. I only wish I did…"

o0o

It was a few hours before curfew and Kenshin quickly made his way down the grassy grounds towards the edge of the forbidden forest, moving like a ghost in shadows. His head was full of questions that refused to give him peace, haunting him with blood-chilling foreboding. He grasped the hilt of his sakabato tightly. If anything, practising kata would help to clear his mind enough to analyse the questions more thoroughly.

Kenshin stretched out his ki sense as far as it would go, checking there was no one near to see him in the darkened grounds, his eyes, hard and narrow scanning the undergrowth. Nothing. Kenshin slipped into the shadows.

Kenshin removed his black cloak and let it drop into soft folds at the base of one of the trees. He unsheathed the Sakabato; its blade glistening slightly in the setting sun and he slowed down his breathing, blocking out everything around him. No distractions now… Begin.

Falling into the beginning stance, Kenshin started his kata. He started out with slow, gentle motions, but they soon became quick and forceful. Kenshin went through all of his attacks, starting with the basics and moving on to the more powerful ones. He flung his body into every attack, just as he would in an actual fight, expending all of his energy. His breathing became heavier, and sweat was starting to run down his face, but he kept up the strenuous pace he had set for himself. At one point, if there had been anyone to watch, they would have lost sight of him entirely. One would just get glimpses of Kenshin as he paused for a split second to change stances before rushing into the next attack. Most of the time only the sound of the blade slicing through the air was all that could be heard. The blade of the sakabato flowed. It was another part of him, an extenuation of his arm, an extenuation of his will. Finishing his most powerful attack he knew so far, he began decreasing the strength and speed behind the swings for the last part of his kata. He went through the 'cool down' swings, and by the time he was finished his breathing had returned to normal. In one, flowing movement, He drew the blade across the mouth of the saya, sliding it home.

The entire practice session had taken about an hour to complete.

Kenshin froze as he felt the presence of someone behind him, hidden within the gloom of the trees. Tainted with an arrogance that chilled him, he felt it draw closer. At the last second Kenshin spun, drawing the blade in one, sift movement, pointing it directly at the heart of the shadowy figure. Kenshin's eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of his would-be assailant. It was Malfoy.

'You!' He gasped a little. Malfoy stared at the blade for a moment, something akin to fear sweeping over his face before raising his pale eyes to meet Kenshin's. He smirked.

Kenshin frowned and lowered his sword slightly, though he didn't loosen his grip on it one bit. Something in that smile set him on edge. 'What do you want, Malfoy' He said slowly.

'A sword?' Malfoy sneered, indicating the steel in his hands, a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. 'You're in big trouble now, Himura. You'll get shipped off on the first, one-way ticket back to whatever medieval dump you come from.'

Kenshin felt himself tense at the words. 'What do you mean?' His eyes narrowed dangerously. Unfortunately, the blonde-haired Slytherin didn't heed the unspoken warning.

'You think that they'll let you stay with a bloody sword? It's worse than if you cast a curse on someone. You're a danger to all of us. They'll expel you for sure!'

Kenshin stood to his full height and glared at the boy, his hard violet eyes flickering amber lights. 'They already know about my sword, Malfoy. I have permission to train with it. However, I wouldn't be so bold as to try to inform them, especially without your _friends_ to back you up.'

Now it was Malfoy's turn for his eyes to blaze. 'Are you calling me a coward, Muggle-trash?'

Kenshin ignored the insult. Hiko's teasing hurt more than Malfoy's words and he was used to hearing far worse. Perhaps that is why his master had teased him so – to prevent him from loosing his cool against an opponent with such a dagger-sharp tongue. 'No. I'm merely suggesting that you keep your nose where it won't get hurt. You shouldn't be out here, Malfoy. You might get in trouble'

Malfoy's ki spiked in fury and his face became taunt. 'Is that a threat, Himura? You trying to say you can hurt me with a metal stick? A runt like you? Don't make me laugh – I could beat you with my little finger.'

Kenshin ignored him, merely sliding the blade back into his sheath, swinging his cloak back onto his shoulders and went to tuck the sakabato inside the dark folds. He felt Malfoy's ki arch again. _Now what did I do?_

Malfoy was becoming furious. Now, not only did the runty redhead mock and insult his abilities, but now he was completely ignoring him, too! _Fine, I'll just attack him then. I'll show that foreign sword-freak for insulting me_! Malfoy drew his wand from his robes.

Kenshin froze as he felt the arch in his ki that Kenshin recognised as an attack. The coward, trying to curse him while his back was turned!

'Petrificus!'

Kenshin ducked and twisted out the way as the red jet of light shot towards him with such speed it seemed he had never moved at all, but disappeared entirely. He spun round, unsheathing his sakabato as he shot towards the Slytherin; his other arm slammed into the boy's chest, pushing him up against a large tree and pinned him there, his dull side of his blade pressed hard against his throat. Malfoy stood petrified in the Japanese boy's grasp, his eyes wide as he looked, not into the soft violet eyes of the redheaded Gryffindor's, but a glowing amber, almost disembodied in the darkening light, blazing.

'It is not very honourable to strike at your opponent while his back is turned, Malfoy-_san_,' he hissed. The voice sent chills down the blond boy's spine, what little colour left in his face drained away at the cold steel lining his words and pushed at his jugular. He tried to push the other boy away, but Kenshin stood firm. Malfoy felt helpless in his iron strong grip.

'W-what are you?' he gasped, unable to look away from those demonic eyes that seemed to sear through his very soul, sending chills down his spine and promising a very slow and very painful death. 'You aren't…hu—'

'It doesn't matter what I am, Malfoy. I have listened to you insult me many times, but I don't care about that. Think what you will about me. But to attack me, or any of my friends, in such a way again, I will not stand idly by. I warned you not to put your nose where it may get hurt.'

Trembling, Malfoy went to use his wand again, but Kenshin pushed the sword closer to his neck, making the other boy gasp and drop his wand with a muffled clatter. 'I wouldn't do that.' Kenshin said, still in the same cool, calm voice. 'I have noticed that if you get inside a wizard's reach, there is not much he can do about it before you kill him.' He tilted the sakabato slightly for effect.

Malfoy almost whimpered his eyes bulging in fear. Kenshin's golden eyes seemed to suggest different ways to kill him, each one more brutal and horrifying than the last, being played out in his mind's eye.

'Listen to me, Malfoy,' Kenshin said, his voice barely above a whisper, yet radiated power at the same time. 'I'm only going to tell you once. Stay away from my friends and me. If you tell anyone – even your _friends_ about what you saw tonight, I will make sure you live long enough to regret it. Stop wasting my time - I'm not someone who you can push around with your sharp tongue, as you're used to. This is your only warning.'

Kenshin glared at him for a moment before stepping back and letting the boy stumble upright again. They stood staring at each other for a long moment before Kenshin turned away. Finding himself released from the demon's eyes, Malfoy took off back to the castle, never looking back, screaming in a girlish manner that Kenshin wouldn't have expected from the Slytherin, almost making him laugh. The blond boy just kept running, not daring to look back for fear of those piercing amber eyes.

Kenshin's eyes returning to soft amethyst. He chuckled slightly and went to pick up his fallen sheath. It was only then that he felt the trickle of something wet on his face. Confused, Kenshin brushed his left cheek with his fingers and looked at them, blinking in surprise as he saw the dark stain of blood. But when he brushed off his face to find the source, he found no wound from where the blood had flowed.

o0o

Kenshin just managed to return back to the Gryffindor common room mere seconds before curfew. The room itself was almost empty except for the odd person. Everyone else had already made there way up to their dormitories, though it would be some time until they would settle down for the night. He could hear people talking faintly, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. From the odd words he did catch, however, it sounded as though they were talking about the Quidditch match earlier on.

Kenshin slipped into one of the comfy chairs by the fire, letting the warmth soak into his skin. It would be some time till Kenshin would try to smuggle his sakabato into the dormitories. However, it didn't bother him too much. Kenshin never needed much sleep. Instead, he dozed a little by the fire.

He jerked into full wakefulness only a little after the last person had vacated the room at the persistent tapping coming from the window. Sitting bolt upright, Kenshin blinked several times until he recognised the soft faun and white-coloured feathers of his own barn owl.

"Mika!" Kenshin opened the window to allow the bird inside. She immediately flew across the room and landed on the table nearest to the fire. Kenshin noticed the paper attached to her leg. Hiko had relied! And quickly too!

Kenshin thanked the owl as he took the note from her. Mika hooted sleepily, nibbling his finger affectionately before flying out the window again. Carefully, he unfolded the letter and read:

_Baka Deshi,_

_It seems as though you might be correct about what you reported. It might be too dangerous to let them stay here without someone to keep a tab on their movements. It might be wise for us to keep our eyes open._

_I hear that the Christmas holidays are coming up. One of the teachers should be coming round with a list of who is to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays. Sign the list – it will be best if we don't leave them up to there own devices for too long – at least not until we find out what it is they are looking for. Try to find out anything you can and keep me posted if anything else occurs. Keep your eyes open at all times._

_On a lighter note, keep practising. I'll be testing you on a spar the moment you get back to Japan._

_Happy Christmas,_

_Hiko Seijuro_

Kenshin sighed as he rolled up the note and tucked it away inside his robes, a small frown on his face. If he were anyone other than Kenshin, he would have been protesting rather loudly at the thought of staying at school over the holidays. However, Kenshin wasn't anyone else. He rarely celebrated Christmas back at Hiko's hut anyway and the orphanage never used to have too much money, so Christmas was only a small affair. He didn't remember his family enough to know if he had ever felt a true Christmas before, so Hiko's order didn't faze him.

He sighed again and kneaded his forehead with a hand. Perhaps it was better if he stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas. Who knew what might happen if the two teachers were left alone. But still, this was going to be a loooong holiday…

To be continued…

I will probably be referring back to this episode a few times just to make fun of a certain ferret, but that is beside the point. Any questions or just constructive criticisms? Please review and I'll get back to you.

Next time on RKatPS

Christmas is coming and Hogwarts is already in the mood. How will Kenshin react to a Wizard's Christmas – especially when he hasn't had enough normal ones to compare it to! Next episode: Christmas at Hogwarts.

Ja ne for now minna-san! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	15. Chapter 15

Chosha's Notes

I really need to try and put these up at the right time. I mean, Christmas has passed people! Just like Baka Chosha to put it up at odd times. Anyway, welcome back! Thankyou to everyone who reviewed this time, including: Sofie, Kristy-chan, Dark Ketchum, Meiji no Pan, Dragonic Ban Sidhe, Shauntell, R.K.R, Sekamu, Quiescent Vengeance, Crazy Hyper Lady and MysticSuperSaiyanGohan. Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer:… (Shinya, muse from Fading Futures enters) Er… due to the fact CK just beat up the solicitors, I guess I'd better do it. She owns zip.

CK enters: SHINYA!

Shinya: Oops!

Last time on RKatPS

Kenshin tells Sanosuke and Kaoru his suspitions, but later, when practicing, is caught by Malfoy. Kenshin scares Malfoy to avoid getting caught because of him telling on him.

Chapter Fifteen

Christmas at Hogwarts

Christmas was almost upon them. Already Hogwarts found itself half buried by several feet of snow; some of the smaller first years even found themselves buried underneath in seconds. The Wesley twins kept starting snowball fights, occasionally aided by Sanosuke, and all three of them got in trouble for enchanting several snowballs to pelt themselves at Quirrell, following him and bouncing off his turban until he refused to come out of the staff room. ('Serves him right for tryin' to curse Harry then' - Sanosuke) Thankfully, much to Kenshin's surprise, the Weasley's didn't try to pounce on him with snowballs. When he had asked them why out of curiosity, they had said they couldn't target someone who could pass for a family member with hair like his.

Kenshin wasn't sure whether to be insulted or not.

Surprisingly, Kenshin hardly ever saw Harry, Ron or Hermione since the Quidditch match. They always seemed to be in the library. He was a little worried, as they never seemed to be researching for schoolwork, and when he, or anyone else for that matter, got too close, they always cut off their conversation. However, Kenshin did catch the words 'Nicolas Flamel' on more than one occasion. He was starting to wonder what they could be hiding from them

A few weeks later, however, Kenshin had other things to think about than wonder at the odd behaviour of his friends. McGonagall had come through the great hall at breakfast with a list of who was going to stay at Hogwarts, just as Hiko had predicted. (Kenshin was wondering if Hiko was psychic now. It was rather spooky in his opinion.) Harry had literally jumped for the list; much to Kenshin's surprise, until he remembered that Harry had told him on the train to Hogwarts that the Muggle family he lived with was awful. Ron and his brothers were also going to stay as their parents were going to visit Charlie in Romania. Hermione was returning home for Christmas, but Sanosuke and Kaoru also said they were going to stay at Hogwarts – Sanosuke's father was busy at the Ministry with something, while Kaoru had just wanted to experience a wizard Christmas.

Kenshin smiled a little as he also signed the list. It seemed this Christmas was going to be not so lonely this year.

To make them even happier, Malfoy was going back home for the holidays. It had seemed that Malfoy had been running out of insults to use on Harry, since his comments about wide mouthed tree frogs replacing Harry as Seeker only earned him hard glares, so had gone back to focusing on Harry's lack of real family. But if he caught sight of Kenshin looking his way, he would squeak and go pure white, almost choking on the suddenly halted words. For some reason he reminded Kenshin of a ferret when he did that. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Harry and the others, but when they questioned him as much as they could through their own laughter about it, Kenshin would just blink up at them and 'Oro' innocently, making them laugh all the more. They soon just left him alone about it, though, as he seemed to be as clueless as they were, though his eyes sparkled with mischievous mirth when they weren't looking.

He did feel a little sorry for the guy though. Kenshin wouldn't have actually done anything… too drastic anyway.

o0o

Kenshin had thought the wizarding world was strange before. How could he not notice, with ghosts wandering the halls, moving pictures where some of their subjects seemed to harbour a crush on him and a hyperactive poltergeist with a mental disorder ready to wreak havoc and chaos on the poor unsuspecting fools. But when Holidays began, Kenshin could safely conclude the wizarding world had completely said goodbye to sanity.

Kenshin had walked into the common room one day to find Harry and Ron playing some sort of game that looked a little like Shogi, both glaring down at it in concentration. Kaoru and Sanosuke were watching over their shoulders.

'Ano…What are you doing?'

'Shush!' Growled Ron in annoyance. 'I'm trying to concentrate'

'Its Wizard chess,' Kaoru supplied, before she was cut off by another irritated 'Shush!' Silently, she let Kenshin look.

Oh.

Kenshin hadn't played chess all that often. His shishou preferred Shogi, but he did know a little of the game. He idly wondered what was so different about wizard's chess, when Ron finally said, 'knight to E4'

Kenshin's eyes bulged when he saw the knight ride up to one of Harry's Rooks and smashed it to bits with its tiny sword, dragging the bits off the board.

'Oro!' Kenshin exclaimed. This version was pretty brutal… actually it looked like something that would convert Hiko to Chess for at lest a decade, just so he could smash any of Kenshin's. Kenshin decided to make a mental note never to show Hiko Wizard's chess, lest he find inspiration of other ways to generally batter, bruise and in any way maim Kenshin in any other way. _I mean, what sane person would give Hiko any other excuse to increase his Ego to the size of the planet Jupiter?_

However, it didn't stop Kenshin from having a go himself against Sanosuke, almost crushing the rooster's chess set past use. He had to admit all those strategy games Hiko had forced on him over the years were starting to pay off. Not that he would tell him that. He wasn't that mad yet. Nor was he mad enough to take on Ron after a 10:0 winning streak against Harry.

All in all, by the time Christmas Eve had come, Kenshin had had more fun than he had ever had at Christmas time for as long as he could remember, though he was a little guilty his Shishou wasn't here to have experienced it too.

Kenshin woke up the next day to find Sanosuke bodily dragging him out of bed yelling 'Its Christmas!' and hauling him down the stairs before Kenshin even had time to protest.

Ron, Harry and Kaoru were already down in the Common room (much to Kenshin's surprise – he was always up before them usually), looking ready to dive into the mound of presents when Sanosuke and Kenshin (still being dragged by said Rooster) made their appearance.

'Funnily enough, Sano, I am capable of walking, de gozaru,' Kenshin said dryly. Sanosuke gave im a sheepish look and put him down. Kenshin straightened his yukata, while the others giggled a little.

'Merry Christmas, Kenshin' Kaoru said happily, her eyes sparkling as she held up a present to the redhead. Kenshin blinked, surprised when he noticed the nametag was addressed to him.

'I have presents?' Kenshin muttered softly. Kaoru looked at him oddly and Kenshin shook himself out of the wave of blurred memories of Christmas among his real family and smiled widely at the raven-haired girl. 'Thanks Kaoru-dono!' Kenshin looked down at the other presents she indicated and he almost blurted a stream of Oros at the sight of a small mountain of presents with his name on it.

Kenshin grabbed the first one from the top. It was wrapped in what looked like an old training gi, a small tag said _to Baka Deshi, from Hiko_. This in itself was enough to have Kenshin go swirly eyed until he realised what it was. Hiko had sent him a sword servicing kit to keep his Sakabato in good condition, along with a note telling him he had to keep it as good as new or else. Kenshin tried to hide both of them before it caught the attention of the others.

Kenshin then picked up another parcel, which was rather lumpy. Kenshin looked at it in confusion.

'Oh bloody Hell, it looks as though Mom's adopted you this year,' Ron said, looking at the lumpy, identical packages that they were now all staring blankly at. 'I mentioned you all in my letters ho-- Oh no! She sent you a Weasley jumper!'

Kenshin tore open the paper to find a thick, hand made jumper In navy blue wool, along with a large box of home made fudge. Kaoru held a cheerful yellow sweater, Harry an emerald green. Sanosuke's was white, complete with the kanji for 'Bad' written on the back, which Sanosuke had complained he missed on school days when he couldn't have it sewn on the back of his robes. Sanosuke promptly donned it, proclaiming he missed his little trademark. Kenshin's sweater, when he held it up to himself, looked exactly the right size.

'I think your mom is Psychic,' Kenshin breathed, causing Ron to blush even more.

'Every year she makes us a jumper,' Ron said as he unwrapped his own, 'and mine's _always_ maroon.'

Kenshin laughed a little at that. Ron hated the colour maroon.

He went on to open his other presents. Hermione had bought him a box of fizzing wizbees while Kaoru had bought him his own wizard chess set – he had borrowed Seamus' in his games before – which Sanosuke proclaimed to have 'pitched in on'. From the way Kaoru dived on him screaming 'FREELOADER!' Kenshin guessed Sanosuke had done nothing of the sort. Still, it made Kenshin grin.

Harry and Ron bought him an assortment of sweets, some of which Kenshin had never heard of before, even since being in the wizarding world.

'Ugh! Yahiko, when I get my hands on you…'

Kenshin blinked over at Kaoru, who was staring at a book in her hands, D-eyed with disgusted rage. Sanosuke was rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically. 'What's wrong, Kaoru-dono?' Kenshin asked bemusedly

'Yahiko! Look what that annoying little brat sent me!'

Kaoru passed the book to Kenshin before wiping out her bokken to smack Sanosuke over the head several times until he was a swirly-eyed lump on the carpet. Kenshin blinked, wondering what all the fuss was about – until he looked at the cover.

How to Make an Ugly Tanooki Pretty in Ten Easy Steps 

…Ah.

Yes, Yahiko was going to have to go into hiding if he didn't want said Tanooki to hunt him down for his pelt. He tried not to laugh. Kenshin had good survival instincts after all.

Seconds later, the dormitory door burst open and the Weasley twins all but bounced into the room yelling, 'Merry Christmas!'

George (Kenshin could never usually tell which twin was which until today, as they were wearing bright blue jumpers, one with a large yellow F, the speaker with a large letter G, which made naming them simple out of the process of elimination) waved a hand at them. 'Hey, Look – They've all got Weasley jumpers too!'

Fred held up Harry's jumper. 'Theirs are better than ours, though. She obviously makes more effort if you're not family.'

George prodded Ron in the arm with a finger. 'Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?' he demanded. 'Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm.'

'But I hate Maroon,' Ron whined as he reluctantly pulled it on over his head.

George looked thoughtfully at their jumpers. 'You haven't got a letter on yours.' He observed. 'I suppose she thinks you won't forget your name. But we're not stupid – we know we're called Gred and Forge.'

Kenshin snorted in a failed attempt to hold in a laugh at their antics. Seconds later the dormitory door was opened once more to reveal an irked-looking Percy. He looked as if he was halfway through his own gift opening, and a knitted jumper draped over one arm, reminding Kenshin of a Spanish bullfighter. The twins swiped it at once.

'P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours. Even Harry, Kaoru, Sano and Kenny got one!' Kenshin twitched a little at the new nickname.

'I - don't – want – ' Percy said thickly, as the twins forced it over his head, pinning his arms and knocking his glasses askew. They began to argue about Christmas being a time for family as the frog-marched him out of the room, followed by gales of laughter from Ron and Sanosuke. Kenshin grinned.

A little later, all dressed in their new jumpers, They made their way down to the great hall. Never in Kenshin's life could he remember such an extravagant decor, or such a sumptuous feast.

Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung around the walls, and there were at least twelve Christmas trees towered over the room, sparkling with silvery, glittering icicles that looked like stars, or golden bubbles charmed by the tiny professor Flitwick. The table was covered with a hundred fat, roasted turkeys; mountains of roasted and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce –and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.

Kenshin didn't know what to expect from the crackers after everything else he'd seen while in the wizarding world, though he fell into a loud stream of Oros when Harry pulled his cracker with Fred. The thing literally exploded, enveloping them in a thick cloud of blue smoke that had all in the vicinity in a coughing fit. When the smoke cleared, Kenshin's eyes bulged at the full-sized rear admiral's hat (not made from flimsy paper, but an actual hat!) along with several live mice. Kenshin saw Mrs Norris give them a calculating look. Kenshin guiltily gave them only 'til the start of dinner to live.

Up on the high table, Kenshin observed Hagrid getting redder and redder as he called for more wine, before kissing McGonagall on the cheek, which sent all the students mass face faulting when she actually begun to _giggle_!

For the rest of the afternoon, Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke and the Weasleys had a great snowball fight, which ended in everyone ganging up on Sanosuke, who fled from the gang of Weasleys, only to have Kaoru and Kenshin, with impish expressions, throw several into his face before he crashed into a snowdrift.

After tea, Kenshin was too full and sleepy to do anything but watch Fred and George get chased all round the Gryffindor tower by Percy, who was screaming at them to give his prefect badge back until Kaoru fell asleep on his shoulder. Kenshin blushed a little, but was too polite to move her – she seemed so peaceful. However, disturb her he had to, when it was time to turn in for the night.

Kenshin collapsed into bed, a warm, sleepy feeling sweeping over him. His mind registered with some surprise a strange feeling in his chest, one that seemed almost alien to him. Suddenly, he smiled. No, he knew what this feeling was. It was Happiness. True happiness that Kenshin had not felt in a long time, not since his parents had been taken from him. The feeling nestled deep in his heart as Kenshin allowed himself to succumb to sleep.

He never noticed as Harry lifted back the covers of his bed to reveal another gift he had not seen, wrapped in a shinning silver cloth.

To Be Continued…

Chosha's notes

I can't think of anything to note, but if you guys can, tell me in a review and I'll help if I can!

Next time on RKatPS

Kenshin and the others get a shock when Harry tells them Snape is referee! Then they have another discovery that causes Kenshin to believe things might be coming to a climax real soon. Next episode: the Meaning of Flamel

Ja ne for now, Minna-san! See you next time!


	16. Chapter 16

Chosha's notes

Helllllloooooooo! Welcome back everyone! Sorry for the wait, but to thank you all, I've done a double update! (Round of applause) …anyway, thank you to all my reviewers – you know who you are, so give yourselves a pat on the back. I apologise for not naming everyone, but I have little time to do my updates between my lessons. So, without further ado, here it is!

Disclaimer: …If you want to live, I suggest you read all previous.

Last time on RKatPS

Christmas came and Kenshin is not only shocked by getting presents, but has a great time too, though he didn't notice as Harry opens one more present…

Chapter Sixteen

The Meaning of Flamel

It felt only seconds since he had put his head down on the pillow when Kenshin felt himself being shaken awake. Mumbling, Kenshin blinked, wondering why he had been shaken. He instinctively checked with his ki sense to see what the problem was, but couldn't feel anything of urgency. However, he did feel the ki of someone awake… or, at least, part of a ki. Kenshin's eyes snapped open at that and he found himself looking into the eyes of Harry. But not all of Harry – Just his head! Kenshin jumped, scooting back in his bed, grasping his wand in seconds and opened his mouth to yell, staring at the floating head of his friend in horror. But before Kenshin could even make a sound, Harry covered his mouth.

'Shhh,' whispered Harry. 'I want to show you something.'

It took a few minutes for what Harry said to sink in Kenshin's shocked mind. Kenshin schooled his face to become blank as he looked at the boy's head. But…how? And, How could he only feel part of his ki? Kenshin watched with suspicion 'Why I can only see your head?' He whispered cautiously.

'Shhh,' repeated Harry, with a nervous glance at the other snoring boys behind their curtains. 'Don't wake everyone up. I couldn't get Ron or Sanosuke up. He nearly hit me when I tried. But I really have to show you.'

Kenshin groaned mentally. Why him? Harry didn't even answer his other question about why he could only see his head. That was a little irritating, especially after Harry had almost caused him to shoot curses or unleash the Hiten Mitsurugi on the poor boy. 'So why can I only see your head?' He asked, the slight threat clear in his voice. He left it unsaid that he could only feel part of the boy's life-force too – something that unnerved him no end.

Harry bit his lip, then swung something from his shoulders. A fluid-looking, slivery cloth rippled onto his stunned hands. Kenshin's eyes widened as his hands seemed to vanish under the cloth. 'It's an invisibility cloak. It was my dad's. Someone sent it to me.'

Kenshin glanced at it doubtfully. 'Are you sure it's safe?'

Harry nodded. 'I've already tried it out. Nothing happened, except no one could see me.'

Or feel him either…Kenshin shivered a little. Harry looked at him pleadingly and the redhead sighed. If Hiko found out, Kenshin was sure he would get murdered on the spot. But Kenshin couldn't stand those puppy-dog eyes. 'Alright,' He sighed in defeat. Kenshin picked up his wand and pulled on his new jumper over his yukata, slipping on his trainers. 'Show me whatever you wanted to show me.'

Harry's face visibly brightened. With a smile, he threw the invisibility cloak over their shoulders and they vanished.

o0o

After a confused portrait opening seemingly by itself and a few corridors latter, Kenshin found himself next to Harry, huddled beneath the invisibility cloak inside an unused classroom. Though it was dark outside still, Kenshin could make out the dark shapes of chairs and desks by the thin strips of moonlight spilling through the crack in the drawn curtains. The air was cold and silent. Time seemed to have stopped. All he could hear was the soft breathing of himself and his companion. Then, a could must have sifted outside, as a silvery beam slowly spilled into the room, caressing a shining object it fell upon. Kenshin's eyes widened in awe.

There, in the centre of the room, stood a large, magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling with a large, ornate golden frame standing on clawed feet. An inscription was carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafra oyt on wohsi_. Kenshin blinked. He recognised this. It had been in one of the extra books he had bought in Diagon ally. The inscription was like a reflection in a mirror – it was backwards. If it was rearranged a little, what it would truly say would be _I show not your face but your hearts desire._ It had confused him no end at first, wondering what it meant by that when he first read about it, but he had a feeling it must be enchanted. Now, here it was, right in front of him.

Harry stood in front of the mirror and whispered excitedly, 'Look. It's my family!' Kenshin looked, but he could only see Harry's reflection. Suddenly, he realised what the riddle had meant. It was enchanted to show a person's hearts desire. Only what a person wanted most in the world could see it

'I think that I won't see them, Harry-kun…' He said, slightly regretfully. He would have liked to see Harry's family, but that was not his greatest desire. "It'll only show what a person always wanted – their greatest wish.'

Harry looked at him stubbornly. 'Hmm… maybe you have to stand where I am,' Harry suggested and pulled Kenshin closer, despite his protests. Seeing as there was no way he would be believed unless he looked, Kenshin looked into the mirror with a little trepidation. Even he wasn't sure what his greatest desire was. In all honesty, he wasn't sure it was wise to know. What he saw caused him to freeze, the blood draining from his face.

There was Kenshin, his eyes wide in a pained look at what stood close to him. There, surrounding him, were three figures Kenshin never thought he would see again, yet locked away within the recesses of his mid that held all those memories of before he became the Heir to the Mitsurugi-ryu. There, looking back at him was Kasumi, Akane and Sakura – the girls who had lost their lives to protect him. Yet there they were, not dead and lifeless, buried in the mountains of Kyoto, but smiling, laughing, waving at him happily. Kenshin wanted to look away, wanted those memories flashing through his mind to fade, but he couldn't do it. Kasumi and Akane were bickering pleasantly, Akane hitting Kasumi on the shoulder playfully and giggling. Sakura was laughing and leaned forward to wrap her arms around the mirror's Kenshin motherly. Kenshin could almost feel tears coming to his eyes, misery enveloping him. In his mind, he saw them as Kasumi and Akane were shot down, telling him to live. Sakura pleading, begging for his life. Saw as she was shot, her body dumped to the floor…

'So, what do you see, Kenshin?' asked Harry, unaware of the turmoil the other boy was in. Kenshin stumbled away, his eyes haunted, yet unable to throw up his cheerful mask. He looked everywhere but the mirror and Harry. Face hidden in the darkness, he whispered, 'Nothing. I didn't…see…' He stopped himself before his voice cracked.

Normally, the look of disappointment on Harry's face would have made him feel guilty for lying to the other boy. However, he was barely composed himself, struggling to put those memories back into the recesses of his mind and failing miserably. Sakura's face flashed in his mind, trying to hug him, or mother him, Kasumi asking him how the day had been, holding his hand, or Akane trying to make him less nervous by joking and laughing at him. Flash as he saw their dead faces, blood pooling around them.

Harry seemed to see that something was wrong. 'Kenshin…?' He asked, going towards him. Kenshin flinched away.

'Lets go back,' Kenshin's voice was hard, controlled, leaving no room for argument. Harry obeyed reluctantly and swept the cloak over them again. As they made their way back to the tower again, Kenshin kept his eyes squeezed shut, refusing to cry. He couldn't cry. He couldn't…

As soon as they got back into the Gryffindor common room, Kenshin threw the cloak of himself an bolted up into his bed, drawing the curtains around himself and cast a silencing charm he had learned. That done, Kenshin drew his knees up to himself, and put his head in his arms.

For so long, Kenshin had tried to forget. Tried to forget that day. When he became Hiko's apprentice, he buried the memories, delving into the sword-arts in an attempt to cover his sorrows until he could almost forget. Yet now, in one fell swoop, those walls he had built round himself and those memories had crumbled and they came back full force. Those three girls who had been like his sisters for the time he had known them, no matter what he tried, filled his mind once more. Kasumi's smiles; Akane's jokes, Sakura's embrace – dead. And it was his fault they had gone…

For the first time since they died, Kenshin allowed a single tear to slip down his cheek

o0o

Since Harry had dragged him out of bed that night and he had looked into the mirror, Kenshin absolutely avoided the room with the mirror at all costs. For the few days afterwards, Kenshin was touchy and he had nightmares that left him covered in sweat and tears, shaking as he saw them die, then scream at him that it was his entire fault. It took him several days before Kenshin had finally got himself in some sort of control and locked the memories away, though he was still haunted in his dreams for days afterwards, but he could put them behind him and enjoy himself again.

Christmas was over before Kenshin could even say Ryutsuisen and classes began once more when Hermione and the others returned from their homes. Of course, that also included Malfoy ('all things come to an end I guess,' grumbled Sanosuke.)

Strangely enough, Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone back to disappearing into the library again. Harry less so than the others, however, as Quidditch had begun once again, and Wood, the team captain for Gryffindor, had set them a tough training program… when the twins decided to follow it rather than dive-bombing each other on their brooms. Kenshin wondered what Hiko would have said if he had been that bad. Then again, Kenshin probably wouldn't have lived long enough to find out anyway. Harry was also looking a little worse for wear, but Kenshin didn't think it would get much worse for him.

It did.

'HE'S WHAT!'

Sanosuke stood up so fast he nearly knocked over the game of wizard chess that Kenshin and Ron were just playing. With a small cry, Ron and Kenshin made a dive to save their already broken chess pieces.

Harry repeated himself. 'Snape is refereeing for the upcoming Quidditch match.'

Ron and Hermione stared in shock. Kaoru and Kenshin choked. The _Potion's Master_ was _refereeing_! Refereeing as in being involved with Quidditch... what was this world coming to? Kenshin, Kaoru and Sanosuke exchanged a look. For one, they knew Snape was going to be unfair. But then there was always that little incident with the cursing too. Great… no pressure then…

'Don't play,' exclaimed Hermione at once.

'Say you're ill,' offered Ron.

'Pretend to break you're leg,' Added Kaoru

'_Really _break your leg!' Sanosuke interjected, causing everyone to fall over.

'Eh, Sano? I think that defeats the object a little, de gozaru,' Kenshin put in once he had recovered.

'Anyway, Kenshin's right. I can't do that. There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out now, Gryffindor can't play at all.'

Sanosuke swore.

At that exact moment, there was a crash and Neville fell through the portrait hole, his legs locked together. Everyone stared. It must have taken him hours to bunny hop all the way up here. There was silence. Then, everyone fell over laughing.

Hermione sprang up to get rid of the curse, but there was a 'Finite Incantatem' before she got there, and Neville's legs springing apart. Hermione stared at the perpetrator who was faster than her, along with everyone else, completely stunned someone beat Hermione in magic. Kenshin blushed. 'I'm used to this spell, de gozaru,' He muttered, remembering the little incident at the Leaky Cauldron when he practised on himself.

Hermione looked positively mortified.

'What happened?' Kaoru asked, helping Neville to his feet again.

'Malfoy,' he answered shakily. 'I met him in the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice on.' Kenshin almost growled. He decided the next time he saw that walking dead ferret he was going to show him exactly what a snail feels like.

'Go to professor McGonagall!' Hermione urged the boy. 'Report him!'

Neville shook his head. 'I don't want any more trouble.' He murmured.

'You have to stand up for yourself, Neville,' Kenshin said softly. 'There are always people in this world that think that the weak should be downtrodden and oppressed. You shouldn't show them that is the right way to think by making it easier for them. You just have to believe in yourself.'

'Kenshin's right,' Kaoru said with a smile. 'You're worth twelve of Malfoy.'

Neville smiled a little, especially when Harry added his own views about just what Malfoy was and gave him a chocolate frog to cheer him up. Neville had left soon after, happier than before, but not before giving Harry the card.

Harry glanced at it for a moment, before stopping dead, wonder on his face. "Ron, Hermione!' he exclaimed 'I found him! I found Flamel!" The two of them, rushed towards him, ignoring Kaoru's confused, 'Who?' Kenshin straightened. Wasn't that the name he had heard so many times in those whispered convocations?

Suddenly Hermione's eyes lit up and she darted back up to her room.

'What's wrong with her?' asked Sanosuke, utterly confused. He walked over to where Harry and Ron were. He received no answer. It didn't matter because a few seconds after he asked that, Hermione came back down. She was carrying a big, thick leather-bound book.

'I never thought to look in here!' she whispered excitedly. She seemed to have forgotten Kenshin, Sanosuke and Kaoru were standing there, identical question marks floating over their heads. 'I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading.'

Everyone fell over.

'_Light?'_ choked Ron. Hermione told Ron to be quiet. She then returned searching through her book, mumbling to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.

'I knew it! I knew it!'

'Are we allowed to speak yet?' said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him as she pushed Sanosuke out the way.

Sanosuke scowled. 'Will someone tell us what's going on?' he asked angrily. His question was ignored as Hermione interrupted him.

'Nicolas Flamel,' she whispered dramatically, 'is the _only maker of the Philosopher's Stone_!'

Kenshin froze, feeling the blood drain from his face. Kami, please don't lead to what I think it does… Kenshin grabbed the book and skimmed through the page's contents, everyone else looking over his shoulder as Kenshin read allowed:

_The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. _

_There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoyed a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight.)_

'See?' said Hermione. 'The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!'

'A stone that makes gold and stops you from dying!' said Harry. 'No wonder Snape's after it! _Anyone_ would want it.'

Before anything else could be said, Sanosuke exploded. '_What the hell is going on_!'

Ron, Hermione, and Harry turned around. It seemed they completely forgot they had three extras in their conversation. Sheepish expressions appeared on their faces.

Kenshin bit his lip. So that was what they were after. The Philosopher's stone… Chikusho, this was not good. Now he had two things to worry about. He just hoped he could keep Harry alive long enough to figure out why the two professors were so intent on finding this mysterious stone.

o0o

The morning of the Quidditch match soon came and Harry was nearly as nervous as he was before his first Quidditch match – only this time, Harry didn't just have Bludgers to worry about. Kenshin and the others attempted to console him, telling him to let them worry about Snape. With the reassurance from his friends he shakily made his way to the field. Meanwhile Kaoru, Sanosuke, Ron and Hermione headed up to the stands. Not too far away, hidden close to the teacher's box, Kenshin sat quietly, watching to see if Quirrell was going to do anything. However, he had to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Dumbledore sitting up there too. Perhaps Kenshin wouldn't have anything to worry about. Still, it was better safe than sorry. If worst came to worst and Snape attempted anything, Kenshin could always tell the Headmaster what they had discovered – if he didn't think he had lost his marbles.

The game began with little incident in the pitch itself. However, in the stands, that was another story all together.

'Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something.' Malfoy sneered.

Sanosuke practically snarled at the sound of the voice, Kaoru fuming, looking ready to pull her bokken from Kami knows where, picturing it slamming satisfyingly between the jerk's eyes. That ungrateful, half-wit, baka, blockheaded jerk was here, once more tormenting them. Kaoru had to wonder if Malfoy even had a life outside of his snide comments. Sanosuke looked more than ready to plant his fist on the younger wizard's stuck-up nose. Neville merely whimpered. Malfoy was scaring Neville out of his wits.

'MALFOY YOU JERK!' Kaoru practically bellowed. 'LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Neville looked very grateful. Malfoy turned up and looked, scanning over them before his expression settled to a smirk.

'Well, if it isn't the other hopeless cases,' He sneered. 'What you going to do, Racoon – bite me?'

Kaoru froze. He did _not_ just call her a racoon…he did…Sanosuke was wise enough to move out of the way as Kaoru glared daggers at the boy, wreathed in flamed. Even Malfoy paused. In seconds, the bokken was out and she hurled herself at the boy, who almost screamed.

'Oi, don't leave me out of the good fights!' Sanosuke said, cracking his knuckles and, no longer really caring what anyone said, practically leapt at Crabbe and Goyle, soon followed by Ron and, surprisingly, Neville too. Hermione paid no attention to it as she watched Harry zoom around looking for the Snitch.

Hermione didn't even notice the scuffle and the yelps coming from the whirl of fists and cloud of smoke that came from the fight behind her. The game ended when Harry caught the Snitch and Kaoru had gave Malfoy a black eye, along with several new bloody lumps. Hermione screamed happily, jumping up and down, leaning forward to hug Parvati in the row in front. Kaoru, Ron and Sanosuke, over the beaten boys, gave a victory pose.

Up near the teacher's stands, Kenshin bolted back down the stairs, grinning from ear to ear that Harry was safe.

Snape spat bitterly on the ground.

o0o

The sword sliced through the air, the dying light dancing along the blade as it moved and flowed like water in the kata of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. However, while the body of the small form worked almost passed the speed of sound, his mind was elsewhere.

The Philosopher's stone, known to make gold and turn the drinker immortal. Both a valuable and, in the wrong hands, dangerous tool. Kenshin had already sent Mika with the news to Hiko, telling him about their new discovery. Hopefully, Hiko might be able to shed a little light on the subject of the stone and what it could mean for the rest of them. Kenshin would be damned if he could figure out what it was alone just then. It didn't tell him what they wanted it for...or for whom.

Kenshin finished the dance and, in one swift movement, slid the sword home; his eyes closed it thought. That's when he felt it…coldness, malice. His eyes shot open and he spun round, blending into the shadows of the trees.

A hooded figure walking at a fast pace strode towards the forest, black robes billowing out behind him like a bat in the night, clearly not wanting to be seen. The ki was sharp, icy, strong…familiar. He knew at once who it was - Snape.

Kenshin watched as the man passed by his hiding place, not seeming to see the flames of red hair in the shadows, sneaking deeper in. Kenshin's eyes narrowed in suspicion. What was going on? Kenshin wasn't going to just let him sneak around like a cat. The man was definitely up to something. Kenshin leaped into the trees in one silent jump, a couple of leaves fell of the branch when he landed, but made no sound. Silently, Kenshin leapt from tree to tree, silently following the professor like a deadly shadow, his eyes glowing a little in the darkening forest.

Finally, Snape stopped as Kenshin soundlessly landed in the branches of a tree, half hidden by branches. Though no one could see him if they looked up, Kenshin could clearly see them, no matter how dark it got. Hiko taught him how to track too well for him not to see. Snape wasn't alone – there was also Quirrell, stuttering soundlessly in a panic, but Kenshin knew better. His ki flickered in anger and hate. Kenshin clearly heard what the man had to say.

'I d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…' Quirrell stuttered finally.

'Oh, I thought we'd keep this private,' Snape said, his voice as silky as ice. 'Students aren't meant to know about the Philosopher's stone after all.'

Kenshin's eyes narrowed slightly at this.

'Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?'

'B-b-but Severus, I –'

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," hissed Snape softly, the warning clear in his voice. Kenshin heard muffled footsteps as Snape walked closer to Quirrell.

'I-I don't know what you—'

'You know perfectly well what I mean.'

'B-but I d-d-don't –'

'Very well,' Snape cut in. 'We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie.' Kenshin's frown deepened ever more. What did Snape mean by that? It seemed perhaps that Quirrell was not only working with Snape to go after the stone, but someone else. Perhaps they weren't working together at all? Damn, this was more complicated than before.

Kenshin looked back down again as Snape strode away, leaving a terrified looking professor behind – except for a moment, his face seemed to slip. Suddenly, ki blasted in dark fury and calculating madness that it nearly caused Kenshin to fall. He tried not to gasp against the almost physical pain it created. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, along with the professor.

Kenshin looked round wildly, but Quirrell was nowhere to be seen. However, he saw something else instead. Sanosuke was hidden behind a tree; his eyes wide yet holding suspicions mirroring Kenshin's own. Kenshin moved, letting Sanosuke see he was there. Sanosuke caught his eyes. Kenshin looked back grimly and nodded.

Sanosuke swore. "Kuso!"

_Exactly_

To be continued… on the second half of double update! Hurry hurry!


	17. Chapter 17

Chosha's notes

Welcome to the second half of the double update! And now, after that tiny second break, back to RKatPS!

Chapter Seventeen

Dark Shadows

It was some time before Kenshin and Sanosuke could tell Kaoru of their discoveries. Exams were only ten weeks round the corner, but despite Ron and Sanosuke's reassurances that it was ages away, everyone from the teachers to Hermione were forcing them to revise and throwing homework at them left right and centre. Sanosuke had left everything to the last moment (as usual) and begged Kenshin for help, until Kaoru banged him on the head to remind him it's his work and he had to do it on his own. Thankfully, in that time, Snape was still in a bad mood and annoyance flickered between dormant and dominant ki's of Quirrell – a sure sign that the three-headed dog was alive and well and that the stone was still protected and locked away in the castle.

Finally, a little after the Easter holidays; they managed to get a chance to tell Kaoru of their discoveries. Kaoru instantly agreed with them that the situation was getting worse.

"I mean, before we thought it was just the two of them, but from the way Snape was talking, it looks like there's a third party," Kaoru said as they sat in the library a little before lunch. They were speaking in Japanese – no point in informing anyone of what they knew. It could be the last thing they did, especially when they had no idea who this other person was, or even if it was just one extra person.

"Plus I think there is more than the one thing guarding it," Kenshin added. "The stone is too important and valuable for just the one thing to guard it. I checked by the third floor a few days ago. It feels choked in magic."

"Still doesn't make me feel any better 'bout it," Sanosuke grumbled. Kenshin agreed. He had recently received a message back from Hiko. Basically it told him that he had to keep his guard up. The philosopher's stone could be dangerous. He had also, much to Kenshin's surprise, mentioned he would try to look into getting more information to try to help out. He didn't know how Hiko was going to manage that though. But all this was rubbing his nerves raw. He sighed.

"We'd better get going. Its nearly dinner, People will start to get suspicious if we didn't turn up at all." Besides, all they were doing was digging up more questions.

Sanosuke was up and out the door in ten seconds flat.

Kaoru giggled a little and they followed him towards the great hall. However, when they caught up with him, it wasn't to find him stuffing his face with food, but staring at the hourglasses that showed the house points in coloured gems. Kenshin started as he looked at the red hourglass. They were down by a hundred and fifty…hang on, that couldn't be right! Kenshin rubbed his eyes and stared at it again. No, it was! But how?

"Sanosuke, what did you do this time!" Kaoru immediately rounded on him. Sanosuke backed away and ran behind Kenshin. Kenshin sweat-dropped.

"Whoa, whoa, Jo-chan! It wasn't me!"

Kaoru blinked in confusion, all anger melting from her face. "But then…why have we lost all those points?"

Kenshin blinked as he caught sight of a third year from Ravenclaw making her way to the great hall and quickly stopped her. 'Um, you wouldn't know why Gryffindor House has dropped so many points at all, would you?" Kenshin asked politely. The girl frowned.

'You didn't hear?' she asked, 'Harry Potter and some other first years lost all those points because they were out wandering in the night. Too bad, I was looking forward to see if they would win House Cup.' The girl then walked away. Kenshin, Kaoru and Sanosuke just stood there in shock. Harry! Kaoru suddenly began fuming and stormed off to find the boy. Kenshin and Sano blinked at each other, before identical looks of alarm flashed over their faces and they bolted after her.

"Kami Jou-chan! Don't you dare kill them!"

"Ororo! Kaoru-dono!"

o0o

After holding Kaoru back as she squirmed in Kenshin's grasp as she did a hell of a lot of yelling (and Sanosuke congratulating them on getting Malfoy into trouble as well before Kenshin lost his grip and Kaoru started chasing him with her bokken.) Kenshin sat rigged in a chair in the common room. Everything was static with tension. Harry was reading, trying to ignore the stares he was getting. Hermione couldn't take much of it and retreated to her room. Neville did so as well. Whispers were heard among the stares and Harry seemed to sink further into his chair. It wasn't long before Kenshin himself bolted. He couldn't stand the tension any longer. His whole body was prepared for a fight because of it, which wasn't good with Kenshin's reflexes. He already nearly knocked out Percy when he put a hand on his shoulder to ask him if he was all right. Anything could have happened if he was exposed to it any longer.

But unlucky for Kenshin, the tension went on. Until Kenshin was literally avoiding the common room unless it was an absolute necessity he had to go in there. Instead, he spent his time outside revising, or training, or in the library. His nerves were too frayed to try anything else. He already hit several of the Gryffindors who caught him at a bad time (one was still in the hospital wing) and Kaoru and Sanosuke were both careful to alert him before they got too close. Plus when he thought he would be okay again, set one foot in the common room and he was right back were he started. Sometimes he really, _really,_ hated Hiko for teaching him how to read ki.

The next day, notes arrived for Harry, Hermione, Neville and Malfoy about their detentions. Kenshin almost choked when he found out they were going into the forbidden forest. _I mean it's forbidden! That's why it's the _Forbidden_ forest! _

Nightfall came soon enough and they left for their detentions. However, Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke and Ron stayed up in the common room to wait for them. Worried that they might get hurt. However, soon Ron, Kaoru and Sanosuke had fallen asleep. Kenshin, however, couldn't sleep at all. He sat on the chair nearest to the window, listening to Ron's loud snores and stared out of it towards the forest, wondering if Harry, Hermione and Neville were all right. Then he felt a little guilty for not thinking about Malfoy's safety too. After all, he was another human – albeit a spoilt one, but still another human life.

It was as he was pondering on these thoughts that he saw it. Red sparks shooting into the air from the recesses of the forest. Kenshin straightened, eyes wide. That was where the others were! They were in trouble! _Damn it, what kinds of teachers send children into the forest in the middle of the night? Don't they know how dangerous it could get!_ Kenshin had had enough experience with the forests around Hiko's home and the dangers there to know it was close to insane to try something like this.

Kenshin grabbed His Sakabato and bolted out of the portrait hole. Damn house points, this was more important!

Kenshin darted through the school, melting into the shadows. He felt like a spy out of the movies, or one of the Hitokiri from the Bakumatsu! He kept thinking on what would happen if he got caught.

To Kenshin's surprise, he never saw a soul.

It didn't take long for Kenshin to get to the forest. Carefully, he crouched to the floor, running his fingers over the soft ground for footprints. Kenshin was a good tracker. He could track someone, even his own master through any conditions – even at night. Kenshin had to smile – his master taught him well. He felt the footprints and followed into the forest, his sword loosened in its sheath. Who knew what was out there in unfamiliar territory? Especially _magical _territory.

As he followed, he smelt a salty, metallic smell…blood. For a second he panicked, until he saw it. Silvery-blue, it was pooled in a staggered line. Whatever it was that bled this, it was wounded badly. And whatever was wounded was clearly not human.

The prints followed the blood deeper into the wild woods. And the smell of blood grew stronger, the pools larger, but the prints kept following. What on earth were they looking for? Kenshin wondered.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest, making Kenshin's blood run cold. Seconds later, Fang, Hagrid's dog, bounded passed him, followed by Malfoy in a panic.

Kenshin grabbed the boy, who screamed hysterically. Kenshin shook him. 'Malfoy! Calm down! It's me, Kenshin!'

Malfoy blenched even more. If the situation weren't so serious, Kenshin would have sweat-dropped. That was _not _the effect he was going for! 'W-what the hell are you—'

'Not now!' Kenshin hissed. 'What's going on?'

'Back there – Monster – Potter'

Damn!

Kenshin bolted towards the way he had come, ignoring Malfoy's yells of 'What the hell are you doing? You'll die! You're mad!'

Kenshin skidded into a clearing. He felt his face blench. Before him, Harry was on the ground, his hand pressed hard against his scar while trying to back away. In front of him, a silvery, horse – no, a unicorn – was lying, dead on the floor, its long, slender legs splayed across the ground, silvery blood covering its hide. But what had Kenshin turn white was the creature advancing on Harry, A hooded humanoid creature, the unicorn's blood dripping from a gaping mouth.

Kenshin leapt into action. With god-like speed, Kenshin darted forward. The creature saw him and lashed out, Kenshin spinning out of the way.

"Ryukansen!"

The thing screamed. It hurt Kenshin's ears to hear the piercing sound. Kenshin flinched as the dark ki malicious, hateful, malevolent…_what_! That ki! Not so dormant any more! Kenshin fought against the wave of ki and the screeches, but when he looked up, the thing was gone. Kenshin grit his teeth.

'K-Kenshin…?'

Kenshin blinked and turned to the boy lying on the floor, staring up at him. His eyes wandered to the blade in Kenshin's hands and widened to the size of plates.

'You alright Harry?' Kenshin asked urgently, kneeling beside him to check him over for wounds. Harry was just staring dazedly and didn't answer the question. Seeing no wounds, Kenshin helped the boy to stand. Harry just stared

'How…' started Harry, 'how did you do that?'

Kenshin opened his mouth to answer him when he heard leaves rustling. Someone was coming. Kenshin drew Harry behind his back, ready to fight again if he had to, until he felt the ki. It was coming to help, benevolence though and through. But now Kenshin had other things to worry about – like what would happen if someone found him there now?

Kenshin turned to Harry. 'I can't say now, Harry. Someone's coming.'

'Huh?' Harry asked, turning to the other boy, 'What do you…' he trailed off. The red-haired boy had disappeared. Harry's eyes widened.

Then… a centaur burst through the undergrowth.

o0o

"Dammit! Hogging the fun fights all to yourself! You shouldn't be so selfish, Kenshin!"

Kenshin sweat-dropped at that. Anything, Kenshin had been expecting anything. Someone yelling at him he could have got hurt, panicked that Malfoy had caught sight of him, horrified by the thought of a humanoid beast attacking, but _hogging fights to himself_? _Shouldn't have been so selfish?_

"Perhaps to _you_, they're fun." He moaned.

They were sitting in the boy's dormitories, the sun just starting to rise. Harry and the others had returned, but were now asleep. Kenshin knew he would have to explain the Hiten Mitsurugi to him at some point, but thankfully, not now. Kaoru was looking mortified. "You should have told us you were going. You could have got yourself killed!" tears shone in her eyes. Kenshin averted his, not wanting to see them and give him more things to guilt over.

"Gomennasai… Kaoru-dono," Kenshin looked back up again. "But things are getting worse. When I fought the thing, I fe… saw who it was. It was Quirrell. I know it was. But it also wasn't him. I don't know."

"Maybe he has a twin?" Sanosuke offered.

"Iie, it's not like that. It was…like he was possessed or something—"

Suddenly a banging on the window cut off Kenshin. All three of them stiffened. Slowly, Kenshin peered through the hangings and when he saw what it was, breathed a sigh of relief. "Mika!"

Kenshin jumped off the bed and flung open the window for the bird. She sailed in, dropped off the letter and flew out again, after brushing his arm with a wing lightly. Kenshin guiltily guessed she was tied from all this hopping about. When this was over, he was going to give her as many treats as she could eat.

Kenshin unfolded the letter and stared.

_Kenshin,_

_Quirrell is not alone. He is working for **Voldemort. **He wants the stone to return him to full power. If he does, you're world is doomed**. Stop him!**_

Kaoru sank back onto the bed. "Did that say what I think it said?"

Sanosuke looked and swore. "No wonder the bastard tried to kill Harry. Harry's the only guy that beat him before!"

"Wait. It'll be okay!" Kaoru leaned forward again. "Listen, that Voldemort guy is supposed to be afraid of Dumbledore, isn't he? So, while Dumbledore's here, well be okay" At least, she tried to sound a little cheerful.

"Still, no pressure, huh…" Kenshin murmured, as he looked at the note in his hands. They didn't know Hiko like Kenshin did. Hiko was worried. And if it worried Hiko… Kenshin wasn't so sure of Kaoru's assurances.

They didn't have much time…

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

The plot thickens even more, huh? Well, I dunno, but if you spot anything you need clarifying, please review… actually, just review to tell me what you think, and vote too, if I should continue and do a sequel?

Well, anyways…

Next time on RKatPS

The cat is out of the bag and the danger has jumped up tenfold. Wait, _Harry went after the stone!_ Next episode: the Third Floor

Ja ne for now, Minna-san! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	18. Chapter 18

Chosha's notes

Yo! Welcome back as RKatPS begins to fall into its final moments! Thankyou reviewers! The fic has reached over 100! So this is my 100th special!

Hihihihihi: It wasn't opverly intentional, but I wanted it to happen this way, next book, Kenshin and the golden trio will be much closer, because of all the things they've done. I was thinking that Harry just didn't want them to worry too much. Then again… (shrugs)

Anywho, lets get the party started!

Disclaimer: (bangs head on table, anime tears falling from eyes.) Why me? Kami-sama, Why me? (slams head on table again.)

Last time on RKatPS

Kenshin was forced to display his hiten Mitsurugi and now knows the questions will soon follow. Plus he has now discovered the most feared wizard is now in on the plot. Kami-sama!

Chapter Eighteen

The third floor

Two days later, the exams started. Kenshin wasn't quite sure how he managed to do them. Oh, it wasn't because he didn't know the stuff, because he did (Hiko would murder him if he didn't know the stuff, even if it was astrology or History of magic.) But it was because, not only did he have the philosopher's stone and Voldemort to worry about, but he was also trying his best to avoid Harry, Ron and Hermione like a plague. He knew that, even though they might be busy now, they would try to draw from him the one secret he had kept under lock and key since he had arrived. However, his luck, never good to start with, finally ran out the night before the last couple of exams. Harry, Ron and Hermione had come into the common room to find Sanosuke and Kaoru there – but, more importantly, they found Kenshin. And Kenshin, seeing them, found he couldn't escape.

'Alright Kenshin Himura,' Hermione said in her most adult voice. Kenshin flinched. 'We want to know what's going on!'

Harry shot her a slightly annoyed look at the tone. 'Kenshin,' he said in a softer tone, 'We want to know how you were able to fight like you did, with a sword…'

"Oro?" Kenshin said as innocently as possible. However, he knew it wasn't going to work this time. Plus it didn't help that Kaoru and Sanosuke were now both staring at him. He was delaying the inevitable. But then again, Kenshin never let loose on his secrets so easily.

'Kenshin,' said Ron, 'C'mon you can tell us. We're your friends.'

Kenshin looked at their faces and winced inwardly. The looks on his friends' faces told him that they weren't going to let him go until he told them. Kenshin let out a sigh. Why him? Why did this always happen to him? His shoulder's sagged a little and he gave in. He had known he had to tell them sooner or later. Somehow, he had a feeling he would greatly regret this…

'Fine. Sit down, this is going to take a while.' He practically winced at the happy looks on his friends' face. They were going to be in for a real surprise.

'So, how did you manage to fight like that?' asked Hermione. Kenshin smiled a little. Trust her to be the first to raise a question.

'Well, it's a long story, but in short… I told you, didn't I, that Seijuro Hiko, who makes pottery, adopted me, sort of, correct?' Everyone nodded. 'Well…Pottery is not the only thing Hiko is good at. And I wasn't adopted in the way you would think.

'Hiko is actually the last and only master of an ancient Japanese Sengoku, or warring states, period sword style known as the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. When I was young, Hiko took me in, because while there is always only one master at a time, the master also needs an apprentice.'

'You're his apprentice, aren't you!' Kaoru said with a gasp. Of course, Kaoru had most likely heard of the style. Any Kenjutsu or kendo fanatic did – the style was once legendary!

Kenshin sighed. 'Yes. Hiko is the master and I… I am the heir to the Hiten Mitsurugi style.'

Everyone sat there, staring at him with a mixture of awe and even a little fear. Suddenly Sanosuke punched him on the arm. 'You've been holding out on me buddy! You should have told me! There are no decent people to fight round here!'

'Oro!'

o0o

Something was bothering Kenshin later that night. A gut feeling, instinct, whatever you call it, it was bothering him. It wasn't exam nerves – they had all been completed now, but… Kenshin stumbled out of bed, almost tripping over his bed sheets, letting his ki sense look round to try and find why he had been woken and hissed a little. Two ki that should be there were not. Kenshin looked around, two empty beds. That was not a good sign. Both Ron and Harry were missing.

_Don't tell me they went wandering around the school at night again_! Kami-sama, did those two WANT to get expelled? But…no, it was more than that. It had to be. Why else would he have that terrible sense of foreboding? Kenshin quickly got dressed into his training gi and hakama, grabbing both his wand and his sakabato.

Kenshin walked down to the common room. No one was around – at least that's what he thought until he saw a shape on the floor… Neville with his arms to his side, his legs together and his whole body rigid, on the floor. "Neville-kun?" asked Kenshin. "What on earth are you doing on the floor?" Neville didn't answer him. He couldn't answer him. Kenshin realised what it was. Damn, a full body bind!

Kenshin took out his wand and mumbled, '_Finite Incantatem_.' Neville's body returned to normal.

'Harry! Ron! Hermione!' stammered Neville, sitting up. 'T-they went out again!'

'Great, wonderful,' Kenshin spun round to find Sanosuke fully dressed in white, rimmed with black. Behind him was Kaoru, dressed in the training clothes of an assistant kendo master.

'Kaoru-dono? Sano?'

Sanosuke grinned. 'I told you stop trying to hog all the fights. Don't forget, I'm here too. You try that again, an' I'll whack you one, got it.' Kenshin half smiled. Well, no getting out of it now. They wouldn't let him do it alone.

'Hey, where are you going?' asked Neville, getting up from the floor. They weren't going out too right? That was going to get Gryffindor in even more troubles.

Kaoru exchanged a glance with Kenshin. Kenshin nodded. 'Neville, I'm afraid we have to go—'

'But you'll get us into more trouble!'

'You idiot!' Sanosuke exploded. 'This isn't just because it's some game! They've gone after the philosopher's stone! Someone's gonna steal it, we're gonna stop them!'

Neville looked like he was going to argue, but Kenshin stopped him with a look. 'Neville, this is important. If we don't stop him, there won't be a Hogwarts left to get expelled from. Harry, Hermione-dono and Ron have all gone to stop him. We're going to help. Neville… if we aren't back soon, you have to find a teacher. Tell them what we told you. If you don't…' he let the sentence drag in the air. Neville's eyes widened and he sank to the floor, face drained of colour. Kenshin turned to Kaoru and Sanosuke. 'I suppose you mean to come?'

'Damn straight!' Sanosuke said.

'You're our friend, Kenshin. They're our friends. We have to go help them. If I didn't, everything I learned about Kamiya Kasshin-ryu would be for nothing.'

Kenshin nodded, knowing there could be no arguing. 'All right then. Lets go.'

o0o

Kenshin was surprised when they didn't bump into anyone on their way to the corridor, not even the annoying poltergeist Peeves. But Kenshin wasn't going to question their luck about a small thing like that. The door to the third floor corridor was slightly ajar.

Standing before them was the three-headed dog. The dog let out another low growl. More strangers… Drool dripped down from its mouth. Behind the large animal was the trapdoor, just like Hermione had said during their first meeting of the beast.

Sanosuke just barely dodged one of the monster's paws that came at him, jumping back out of the room again. "How the hell do we get pass this thing!" He shouted.

Kaoru yelled to them, 'I heard Harry talking today. They kept saying something about music making Fluffy go to sleep, so we can get passed. And cause we don't have instruments, one of us is going to have to sing.'

'_Fluffy_!' Sanosuke choked at the name, staring at the furious monster incredulously.

'Sing!' Kenshin almost walled.

'Yes. Kenshin! Sing!'

"That was a joke right?" asked Kenshin. Kaoru did not just tell him to sing. There was no way that Kenshin was going to start singing. It would be a very cold day in hell before he started singing.

Kaoru jumped out the way of an angry swipe. "Yeah, well, if Sanosuke tried hard enough he could crack glass with that horrible voice," she said.

'Hey!'

'I'll sing too, kay. Come on!'

"Would you believe me if I told you I can't sing either, de gozaru ka?" asked Kenshin.

"KENSIIIIIN!"

Kenshin winced at the shrill yell. Kenshin pinched himself, hoping that this was a dream. It wasn't. Kenshin let out a sigh. Kami-sama, this was going to be embarrassing. Choosing the first song that came to his mind, he began to sing. "Rocka-by-baby on the tree top. When the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby, cradle and all."

_Not a bad voice_, Kaoru mused as she joined in. _Kenshin had way too low self-esteem_. Apparently Fluffy agreed, as the three-headed dog's movements began to slow down. As Kenshin and Kaoru continued to repeat the verse of the nursery rhyme, Fluffy's eyelids began to droop. Sanosuke quickly headed towards the trapdoor.

"Hurry up, Jou-chan, Kenshin," he whispered. Kenshin and Kaoru made his way towards the trapdoor. Unfortunately, they didn't realise you had to constantly be singing. Within seconds after they stopped singing, Fluffy woke up.

Kenshin's eyes widened. Fluffy let out a loud growl and leapt towards Kaoru.

'Kaoru-dono!' Kenshin dashed forward, scooping Kaoru up in his arms and skidding towards the open trap door. They jumped in just as the jaws tried to close, missing the ends of Kenshin's ponytail by millimetres. The door itself smashed onto the creature's nose. It yelped and withdrew, plunging them into darkness.

Kenshin blinked, wondering how the hell they were still alive after a fall like that. Kenshin tried to get up, only to find Kaoru sitting on his chest. Well, at least she wasn't hurt. Sanosuke groaned somewhere near to them. 'Ugh… that first step…was a doozie…'

Kaoru stirred a little and turned to look at him. Kenshin tried to smile back, except it was a little hard to do so when you could hardly breath. "Daijobu, Kaoru-dono?"

"D-Daijobu" she replied, a little shaken. Suddenly she screamed. Kenshin's eyes widened. The plant they had landed on. It was moving! Kenshin grabbed Kaoru and threw her to the far side of the room, away from the plant, just before it got too tighter hold on his arms. His sakabato skidded away from his reach. Kenshin and Sanosuke yelled as they struggled against it. Suddenly, Kenshin's eyes widened.

'Sano! Stop moving! I know what this is! It's a devil's snare!'

'Lovely to know that – but how the hells that gonna help!'

Kenshin brought his arms up to stop the vines choking him as they tried to wind around his neck. 'I-it likes the dark… and damp… Kaoru-dono, light a fire!'

'A fire?'

'Hurry!'

Beginning to panic, Kaoru answered, "There's no wood!"

If his hands were free, Sanosuke looked like he would have whacked his head at that answer. Kenshin almost stared. She did _not_ just say that. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT!" Sanosuke yelled at the girl. This was a life or death situation and Kaoru just forgot that she was a witch!

"Oh right," mumbled Kaoru. She grabbed his wand out of her training gi. "_Incendio!_" From her wand, a blue flame shot out. As the flames began to spread, the vines of the Devil's Snare started to wither and shrink. It loosened its grip on Kenshin and Sanosuke as the plant fled from the warmth and heat.

'Finally, I can breath again…' Sanosuke said. He pulled himself free from the loose vines. Kenshin was doing the same, except unwinding it from his neck and arms. Once they were free, Sanosuke sent a mini-glare towards the girl. "Honestly, Jou-chan, 'there's no wood'," Kenshin could tell Sanosuke was just joking, but it didn't stop Kaoru from hitting him on the head with her bokken, the vain twitching. Kenshin ignored them as he picked up his Sakabato and slipped it into his training hakama.

'Come on!'

They ran down the hall. Kaoru looked over at the redhead running next to her. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine, Kaoru-dono, thanks to you!'

Kaoru blushed.

At the end of hallway, a dim light shone. As they got closer to the light, a soft rustling and clinking was heard.

"What's that sound?" asked Kaoru.

Kenshin frowned in confusion. "It sounds like… wings." But how was that possible, so far down under the school.

They came to the end of the passageway and skidded to a halt, blinking in the bright light. They had reached a large room, light reflected in brighter patches from above, which moved around like a disco ball. Kenshin glanced up and gasped. The chamber had a high, arched ceiling. Near the top, jewel-like birds flew together in a swarm. They fluttered and clicked as they flew in the air. Across the room, there was a big, heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we try to get to the door?" asked Kaoru, gripping her bokken.

Kenshin glanced up at them again. The birds looked innocent enough, but Kenshin knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. After all, you wouldn't have thought he was any good at Kendo just by looking at him, would you? But, strangely enough, Kenshin couldn't get a read from their ki to see if they would attack. In fact, he couldn't get a ki reading at all! But they just fluttered about, glittering – hang on! _Glittering?_

Kenshin blinked, once, twice, three times as he recognized the objects flying in the air. His eyes widened. They weren't birds! "They're keys!" he exclaimed. His eyes scanned the room again to find several brooms lying about. "And if I haven't missed my guess, I bet one of them opens that door."

Sanosuke growled. "We don't have time to fly about to catch a damned key," he snapped. "We have heads to crack and no time to crack 'em in! Kenshin, just Alohamora the damn thing!"

The other shook his head. "They wouldn't have designed this so a simple charm like the Alohamora would open it. I bet they'll have enchantment on it against all unlocking spells."

Sanosuke cracked his knuckles. "Then we'll just have to break it down." And he rushed at the door.

"Sano! Wait!"

"Futae No Kiwami!" Sanosuke's fist slammed into the door. There was a pause, then—

**BOOM!**

The door exploded sending dust and debris in all directions. Kenshin flung his arms over his head protectively, choking and coughing against the dust cloud. When the smoke cleared, the door was gone, replaced by a hole twice as big as the door had been.

"Oro! That's one way, I suppose," said Kenshin, as he stared at the wreckage.

"Subtle, Sanosuke. _Real _subtle…" Kaoru said sarcastically, before sneezing. Sanosuke just grinned.

They entered the next room. They were now standing on the edge of a giant chessboard. Broken pieces of former chessmen littered the floor around the board. Faceless white pieces stared back at them. But before they could do anything, they heard someone scream. 'Kenshin! Kaoru! Sanosuke!'

Hermione was kneeling by the limp form of Ron; his face was deathly pale.

'Hermione-dono!' Kenshin stepped forward, but before he had even moved half way, the line of white pawns drew swords on him. Eyes widened, Kenshin leapt back, hand on the hilt of his sakabato.

'You have to play across!' Hermione yelled. 'Please hurry – Ron won't wake up!'

Kaoru looked at Kenshin. "You're good at chess aren't you? I mean, you're probably the only one of us who could rival Ron at it. What should we do?"

Sanosuke looked a little insulted. "So what am I, chopped liver? I'm good at it too!"

Kaoru shot Sanosuke a side-glance before giving a rather undignified snort. "You wouldn't be able to play your way out of a paper bag, Sanosuke. You would lose this game in minutes. Be grateful that Kenshin's here."

Kenshin sweat-dropped. "Um, this really isn't the time to fight, de gozaru…" He straightened. "Sano, could you take place of the knight? Kaoru-dono, take the place of the bishop. I'll take the place of the king."

Kaoru looked confused. "The king? Why?"

"I need to be able to see what's going on in the game, but if I have to keep moving, I might miss something. The King doesn't move much so I can see what move is best to make."

They quickly got into position. Kaoru looked at Kenshin. "Now what?"

Kenshin looked back at her grimily. "White has first move." A white pawn suddenly moved forward two spaces. The game commenced.

Kenshin had to wince when the first pawn was taken - smashed into pieces. If that had been one of them… quickly he cleared his head of the though. This was like a fight. But if he was going to win, he had to focus. Thankfully, it seemed that the moves were of a common nature to Ron's of desecrating the enemy, rather than aiming to take the opposing king, or defending their own, a style which Kenshin had long become an expert at defending against. But if he was going to get them across safely, sacrifices had to be made. Kenshin offered up something that he knew the whites would not resist – his queen. As predicted, the whites fell for it, leaving the king wide open.

"Sano! Move now – the king is unprotected."

Sanosuke did as told.

Kenshin looked at the white, faceless king with a grim smile. 'Checkmate.'

The white king threw down his crown at Sanosuke's feet, making him jump a little to avoid it landing on his toes. The white pieces bowed and parted out the way.

'Hermione!' They all ran over to her. She had propped Ron against the wall, trying to wake him. Thankfully, he didn't look so pale any more.

'Hermione-dono. Where's Harry?'

Hermione gave him a slightly panicked look. 'He went after Snape. He should already be in the last room! He asked me to help Ron and find Dumbledore. He said he wouldn't be able to hold him off for long.'

Sanosuke swore. Kenshin turned to Kaoru. 'Kaoru-dono, please help Hermione-dono to get Ron up and to get Dumbledore. If its Voldemort in there with them, we might need his help soon'

Kaoru looked mortified. 'But Kenshin—'

'Please! Kaoru-dono, this is important!'

Kaoru stared at him for a moment before nodding. 'Be careful Kenshin.' Kenshin smiled and nodded before turning to Sanosuke.

'Sano, lets go.' And they ran through the next door.

Kenshin almost gagged as the most disgusting of smells hit his nostrils, making him cover his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his gi. Eyes watering, he noticed, face down on the stone floor in front of them was the largest troll either of them had ever seen, easily twice the size of the one they had taken down at Halloween. It was unconscious, a bloody lump on its head that rivalled those from Kaoru's bokken.

"Glad we didn't have to face that one," Sanosuke muttered. Just as he said that, the troll began to stir. "Kuso! Me and my big mouth!"

The troll rose to its feet, its blood-shot eyes rolling in anger. Catching sight of them, it roared and thrashed out at them with its arms. Kenshin dodged just as its fist came crashing down where he had stood, causing a shock wave through the floor. Sanosuke punched at him, sending the creature flying from the force of his Futae No Kiwami. Sanosuke spun to Kenshin.

"Kenshin! You go get Harry and kick Voldemort's ass – I'll deal with this!"

Kenshin stared at him as if he had proclaimed undying love to him or something. "What! But Sa—"

"Go!"

He leapt at the rising troll again, throwing another Futae No Kiwami, sending it crashing into the wall in a cloud of debris and an explosion that shook the whole room. Kenshin hesitated, then bolted towards the next door. "Sorry…"

Kenshin stumbled into the next room, hand on his sakabato, body tense. But to Kenshin's surprise, there were no towering creatures or possessed games in the room, just a line of different shaped bottles. Across the other side of the room was an open, door shaped arch.

As Kenshin took a few cautious steps into the room, a fire sprang up behind him, blocking the doorway in flames. But it was no ordinary fire – the flames were violet! In the same moment, flames leaped up in the opposite doorway, Jet-black like flickering shadows.

Kenshin looked round wildly, trying to find some indication as to what to do. His eyes landed on a roll of parchment lying haphazardly on the table by the bottles. Seizing it, Kenshin read:

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end, _

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Kenshin almost smiled. This wasn't magic, it was logic, and Hiko had drummed logic puzzles into his head almost as much as Kata. He was willing to bet it was Snape who had put together this trap. He had to admit he was pretty impressed. He re-read the parchment before he frowned and looked at the table again. He noticed that there were only six bottles on the table. Kenshin then spied a little black bottle on the floor, the missing bottle. If he hadn't missed his guess, that was the bottle he needed to get through the black flames. But as he picked it up, his face fell. It was empty. Kenshin bit his lip as he looked at the flames again. Only one way then. His eyes hardened and he unsheathed his sakabato.

"Doryusen!"

The force of the attack parted the flames like Moses did the Red Sea, but Kenshin didn't have time to congratulate himself. Kenshin darted through the gap, the flames, like burning black curtains, closing in behind him.

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

Bit of a cliff-hanger, hmm. Well, I have to have a Slytherin streak every now and then! Any comments? Please, review to your hearts content! But for now…

Next time on RKatPS

Kenshin has gone through the flames. What horrors will he find on the other side? Find out, next episode: Scarlet eyes

Ja ne for now!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	19. Chapter 19

Chosha's notes

Sorry for the long wait. I'm afraid I had coursework for biology that needed to be handed in… the first half at least. So, I'm free for a little bit and can now update on this once more! Thank you all who have reviewed. The biggest showdown is finally here!

PUNX13: to answer the questions, yes, I will be. I held a vote a while ago, and everyone who voted wanted me to continue the series. I even had someone say they would finish it off if I didn't! The other question? Well, though it may take a little time, the fic will be KK, but they are slightly young at the moment, so don't expect a lot until, perhaps 3rd year.

Anyway, here we go!

Disclaimer: (raises eyebrow and drums fingers on table) …

Last time on RKatPS

Kenshin, Sano and Kaoru went after Harry, Hermione and Ron to the third floor, but now they find out Harry is alone facing the dark lord. Kenshin races ahead through the flames, dreading what could be on the other side…

Chapter Nineteen

Scarlet Eyes

Kenshin skidded to a halt as he entered the next chamber and almost had to stare at the picture in front of him. Harry was standing; his back to the door, his arms tied tightly with thick ropes, which he was struggling fruitlessly against. A little in front of Harry was a large, magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling with a large, ornate golden frame standing on clawed feet. Kenshin stifled a gasp as he recognised it. It was the Mirror of Erised! But, he had thought it was in that unused room. He hadn't realised it had move – then again, he had avoided it. Perhaps this was the last defense…

A movement caused Kenshin to tense and grip the hilt of his sakabato, dropping into Battojutsu stance with practised ease. He glared towards Quirrell as he moved from behind the mirror. Both ki he had seemed to blaze. When he saw Kenshin, his face flickered in surprise, before settling into a smirk. At no point, however, did he twitch at all.

'So, I was right,' Kenshin said slowly, causing Harry to jump at the sound. 'It was you.'

Quirrell almost fell over. However, he recovered with surprising swiftness. 'Well, you are a cleaver little boy, aren't you, Himura. You and Potter are just too nosy for your own good!' He snapped his fingers.

Kenshin's eyes widened as ropes flew out of nowhere. Kenshin drew out his sakabato at god-like speed, flipping it in the air and slashed the ropes, darting out the way, but the ropes caught up from another direction, yanking his arms above his head painfully. Kenshin gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes against the stress in his arms.

He didn't scream. He never made a sound.

He didn't drop his sword.

'You should never have come here.' Quirrell growled. Kenshin almost rolled his eyes. He sounded like a villain off the old comics he remembered having at the orphanage – and a rather pathetic cliché one to boot. 'Now, be a good little boy while I examine this interesting mirror.'

Seeing as he wasn't about to get any answers out of Mr-insane-villain, Kenshin turned to Harry. 'Are you okay?'

Harry gritted his teeth. 'As well as I can be under the circumstances, yeah.'

Kenshin sighed in relief. Well, now he knew he was okay… 'What were you thinking, coming down here on your own! You could have got killed!'

Harry would have fell over if he could. He was expecting something along the lines of, 'Harry, what's going on', or 'Harry, what's Quirrell trying to do?' He certainly didn't expect Kenshin to yell at him about being stupid enough to go into there in the first place. Quirrell must have thought so too, because he was just staring at the redhead as if he was nuts. Kenshin ignored him, sending a cool glare back at the teacher.

'I will not just stand by and let you, or whichever one you are, just get the stone.'

Quirrell's glare deepened as he looked back at him. However, his glare was nothing compared to Hiko's glare-that-could-kill-you-with-one-look. He met it head on.

Harry saw his chance. While Quirrell was preoccupied with Kenshin, Harry inched closer and closer to the mirror. He had to stop Quirrell from getting the stone. All he wanted to do was to protect the stone so that Quirrell didn't get it. If the mirror really showed his heart's desire, he should be able to see where the stone is hidden and prevent Quirrell from using it.

Harry froze when Quirrell turned back around, having had enough with Kenshin's stare-out contest. Kenshin, however, caught sight of what Harry was doing and guessed immediately what was going on. He had to keep Quirrell's attention away from Harry!

"Sano and I heard you and Snape arguing after the Quidditch match." Kenshin said mockingly, sounding surprisingly like his shishou. As predicted, Quirrell snapped round angrily. Kenshin smirked, feeling Quirrell's ki spike with annoyance. _Guess I'll have to thank Hiko for his arrogant attitude, then._

Almost subconsciously, Quirrell answered. "Yes. Snape was on to me by that time. He suspected me all along. He tried to frighten me… but I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"

Kenshin glared a little. 'So, You and Snape never were in this together, were you?'

Quirrell smirked. 'Yes, Snape does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have around, swooping around like an overgrown bat.' Kenshin's eye twitched. He did have a point about the bat thing. If the situation weren't so serious, Kenshin would have laughed. 'Next to him, who would have suspected p-p-poor st-stuttering p-professor Quirrell?'

Kenshin smirked back. 'Oh, you mean besides a first-year and a muggle?'

Quirrell opened his mouth to counter Kenshin's statement. However, before Quirrell could say anything, a low cold voice came out of nowhere. Kenshin froze as the sound made his blood run cold. "Use Potter… use Potter… to get the stone…"

Quirrell snapped around and clapped his hands. The ropes around Harry fell off and disappeared. "Come here," ordered Quirrell.

Not knowing what to do, Harry walked towards him.

Kenshin clenched his teeth in anger. He opened his mouth to shout, "If you hurt Harry, I swear you will regret it!" But stopped himself as inspiration struck. He was still tied up by the ropes, but since Quirrell had all his attention on Harry and the Mirror of Erised, Kenshin might be able to get out of the ropes just in time to stop Quirrell from getting the information out of the boy. The sword was still loosely gripped in his hand. Ignoring the pain of the ropes as they cut into his skin, Kenshin flipped the blade and began sawing at the ropes.

"What do you see in the mirror?" asked Quirrell.

Harry peered into the mirror. At first he saw his reflection, pale, dirty, scared-looking. But a moment later it smiled at him, putting its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put it back into its pocket – but, as it did so, Harry felt something heavy in his real pocket. Somehow, incredibly, _He'd got the stone…_

Kenshin saw Harry's expression change for a split second. He then noticed that there was something in Harry's pocket. Everything seemed to click together in Kenshin's head. He understood. Harry had somehow got the stone, against all odds, even when Quirrell had not. Now all Harry had to do was hide it from Quirrell.

"I see… myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I just won the house cup," stammered Harry as he made up what he saw in the mirror. He HAD to prevent Quirrell from getting the stone. He was shaking as his courage wavered back and forth. Next to him, Quirrell cursed again.

Kenshin winced as he heard Harry's lie. _Note to self, get Sano to teach Harry to Lie properly_, Kenshin groaned mentally. Even _he_ could tell that was a big lie and Hiko had always said he was extremely gullible at times. Yet it seemed Quirrell was more gullible still – he never noticed a thing.

"Get out of the way," he snarled, pushing Harry away.

Harry quickly ran over to help Kenshin untie himself. However, before Harry could even touch the rope, the voice spoke again. "He lies… He lies…"

Quirrell twirled around. The usually frightened professor had an odd, fierce look in his eyes. "Potter, come back here!" he shouted. "What did you see!"

Again the high voice spoke, yet Kenshin and Harry couldn't tell where it was coming from. Quirrell wasn't moving his lips and no one else was in the room. Were they invisible? Still, it made the hair on the back of Kenshin's neck stand on end.

"Let me speak to them… face to face," whispered the voice in a dangerous tone.

"Master, you are not strong enough!" protested Quirrell in a feeble attempt.

The second ki suddenly flared to intense ferocity. "I have strength enough… for this…"

Danger alarms went off in Kenshin's head. Something told him the owner of that voice was very dangerous. Somehow, Kenshin knew instinctively, the second ki and this cold, cruel voice were one. Next to him, Harry stood there as if he was rooted to the ground.

Meanwhile, Quirrell slowly began to unwrap his turban. It was almost like he was unwrapping a gift; however, inside was nothing pretty or friendly. As the turban fell away, Quirrell's head seemed to get smaller and smaller. Finally, Quirrell turned around slowly on the spot.

Kenshin's hair stood on end and he drew in a sharp breath. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face he had ever seen. It was white as chalk with glaring scarlet eyes, like a cat, slits for nostrils, like a snake.

'Voldemort,' Kenshin hissed.

The face glared at Harry, a look of anger dancing brightly in the crimson red eyes. 'See what I have become?' Voldemort hissed at Harry. 'Mere shadow and vapour… I have form only when I can share another's body… But there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…'

'So it was you!' Kenshin hissed as realisation sank in. 'It was you who were drinking from the unicorn. You cursed your own life! It is better to die than to live such a half-life!'

The eyes turned to Kenshin and bloodless lips smiled. 'Ah, Battosai… That sounds exactly like something you would have said…'

Kenshin's eyes widened. W-what…? Battosai? Master of Battojutsu? But why would he call him that?

The scarlet eyes slid to Kenshin's left cheek and the face smirked. 'You haven't woken yet, I see… No matter, for now… now, Potter… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?'

Harry stumbled backwards, fear jumping in his ki, finally compelling him to move. 'Don't be a fool,' snarled the face. 'Better save your own life and join me… or you'll meet the same end as your parents… they died begging me for mercy…' Kenshin gritted his teeth, shoving Voldemort's words away, sawing at the ropes. He had to get free; or else Harry might die! _Almost…there…_

'LIAR!' Harry shouted suddenly. He had to get away!

Quirrell was walking backward towards him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

'How touching…' he hissed. 'I always valued bravery… yes, boy, your parents were brave… I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you… now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain.'

'NEVER!'

Harry made a break for it. Voldemort yelled, 'Seize him!' Quirrell leapt forward. At that moment, Kenshin's sword sliced through the last of the rope. He leapt at Quirrell, bringing the sakabato down with all his might onto the man's outstretched hand with a sickening crack. He screamed, stumbling away, his wrist cradled in his arms.

Kenshin fell into stance. 'I will not let you hurt Harry!'

Quirrell growled at Kenshin and shot a red light in his direction, Kenshin dodged it, but it gave Quirrell long enough to leap at Harry once more.

'Harry!' Kenshin yelled in horror, dashing towards them again.

…That was when the strangest thing happened. As soon as Quirrell touched Harry's skin, he let out a loud howl of pain. At the same time, Harry touched his scar, pain laced through his body.

Kenshin's eyes widened as he watched Quirrell hunch over in agony. The hand he touched Harry with was red, shiny, blistering before his eyes. It looked as if it had been burned; it even smoked a little. _What the!_ thought Kenshin. _But…how? Harry has never been able to do that before!_

'Master! I can't touch him! His skin burns me!' howled Quirrell.

'Then kill him!' shouted Voldemort unmercifully. Quirrell jumped toward Harry, only to have Kenshin jump forward, sweeping Harry of the ground and skidded away.

'Seize him! SEIZE HIM!' screeched Voldemort. Quirrell lunged at them again. Kenshin dropped Harry and shot forward, catching the man off guard.

"Ryushosen!"

The sword slashed upwards, crashing against Quirrell's chest, throwing him back with a scream. He fell, skidding across the floor. If Quirrell were any normal person, he would have stayed down after the hit that broke ribs. But this man was possessed by Voldemort's spirit. He climbed to his feet again, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He flicked a hand. A strange force shot his way, too fast for Kenshin to dodge. He yelled as he was thrown off his feet, sent crashing into the far wall.

However, in his distraction with Kenshin, Harry had ran forward and, seconds after Kenshin crashed into the wall in a cloud of debris, grabbed the man's face with his bare hands.

Quirrell screamed in pain. As Voldemort screamed, 'KILL HIM! KILL HIM!' Harry fully realised that Quirrell couldn't touch him; not without experiencing excruciating pain first. Kenshin staggered to his feet again, gripping his arm. His gi was rather tattered and blood was oozing up under his fingers, his breathing was rather laboured – he guessed he had at least bruised his ribs. Quirrell stumbled away from the other boy, clawing at his burned face to try and stem the suffering. Kenshin saw their chance

'Run, Harry!' yelled Kenshin. Harry ran towards Kenshin and the doorway.

'No! I will not let you escape!' Hissed Voldemort. Quirrell tackled Harry and pinned him down the ground with his legs. Quirrell went flying as Kenshin used the Battojutsu on him, sending him crashing to the floor once more. Kenshin dashed to Harry's side. He was lying still now, pale and unmoving. Kenshin's pupils contracted in fear. _Kami-sama… he's not…he can't be…_ Kenshin touched his throat, searching for a pulse, any sign of life. He almost fell unconscious with relief when he felt the steady pulse of the comatose, but very much alive.

Suddenly, Ki flared and Kenshin's head snapped up and stared at the motionless form of Quirrell at the other side of the room. The body shuddered and convulsed and a shapeless spirit rose from the body. Slowly, it turned round and scarlet glowing eyes fixed on Kenshin.

_Voldemort…_

Voldemort opened what looked like a mouth and screamed, flying towards them at terrifying speed.

Kenshin did the only thing he could think of to defend himself. He gathered up his Kenki and roared, pushing it out with tremendous force. The spirit found itself unable to get close enough to Kenshin and, it must have hurt, because it screamed and veered away, shooting upwards and vanishing as it fazed through the roof. Kenshin gasped for breath as an immense wiriness overtook him and he slumped at Harry's side, panting, wincing a little at the sharp pain in his side.

'Kenshin! Harry!'

Kenshin glanced up blearily at the newcomers and his heart jumped. There, in the doorway was Dumbledore, behind him was Ron - looking rather dazed, being held up by Hermione - Kaoru and Sanosuke, who looked a little worse for wear. His shirt was torn to shreds and it was now being used for some sort of makeshift sling for his arm, which, Kenshin guessed, must be broken. But none of it mattered just then. They were safe! _Kami-sama, they were safe_!

Kaoru dashed to Kenshin's side, staring at the blood. "Kami, Kenshin no Baka, what did you do? You're bleeding!" Kenshin chose not to comment on that.

'I'm fine, I'll be okay. But Harry – you need to check on him.'

Dumbledore came to Harry's side, took out his wand and mumbled a few words. The wand glowed green. He sighed, smiling - though clearly still worried that Harry hadn't stirred when he touched him. 'Harry should be fine, but he needs to see Madam Pomfrey straight away, as do you, Kenshin.'

Kenshin blinked as he looked into the man's soft blue eyes, surprised how with just one look it could make you feel so… well, safe and calmed. Dumbledore picked up Harry – who knew the old man had such strength in him? – and began to leave the chamber. Kenshin staggered to his feet, but was shocked when Kaoru caught him by the shoulder and helped support him. He flashed her a small smile in thanks. Slowly, they began walking towards the door, back towards the exit again. Kenshin limped a little – he guessed he did more damage than he had thought when Quirrell threw him in the wall – and now the adrenaline was working its way out of his system, he was trembling.

Sanosuke looked at him worriedly. 'Oi, Kenshin, You're hurt. Let me carry you back.'

Kenshin mock-glared at him. Okay, he was hurt, but he wasn't an invalid. Hiko had done much worse and he had made him walk back with no help at all. His Shishou would be laughing his head off if Kenshin had to be carried back now. Plus, he didn't think his pride could stand getting any more bruised.

'Sano, you're hurt as well,' Kenshin pointed out, 'it'd just strain your arm if you tried. Plus, I won't be carried round like a bucket of rice. I can and will walk de gozaru yo!'

Sanosuke laughed a little as they walked towards through the door. Kenshin paused a little. '…What about Quirrell?'

Sanosuke followed Kenshin's line of sight and shrugged. 'Dunno. Dumbledore'll sort it out now, I bet.'

Kaoru shuddered as she glanced back too. 'Kami, I hope so…'

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

Well, I couldn't have the main characters of the fic both unconscious! Besides, Kenshin is way too stubborn. Anyway, this means We can see what happened in those 3 days Harry was unconscious.

Any questions? Don't hesitate to ask! Please review!

Next time on RKatPS

Kenshin and Harry are both in the hospital wing. Will Harry pull through? Can Kenshin survive the overly zealous madam Pomfrey? Next episode: hospital wing


	20. Chapter 20

Chosha's notes

Well, here we are, the tale soon drawing to a close in the last few chappy's. Thanks for all those lovely reviews – I will be giving a special mention to you all at the end! Anyway, enough with the blabber – here's your next instalment!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know the drill – STOP BUGGING ME!

Last time on RKatPS

Harry and Kenshin faced down Quirrell and Voldemort, but now Harry is unconscious and Kenshin is off to the hospital wing

Chapter Twenty

The Hospital Wing

Kenshin blinked as they entered the room. The sun was beginning to rise above the forbidden forest outside a large, east-facing window (Kami, had they spent so long down that trapdoor?) The room was white painted with large windows and rows of beds draped with white linen sheets lined the walls. A small room came off from it that looked like some kind of office. The owner of that office - a kind looking woman, yet looked as if she could also be as strict as McGonagall - stood in the doorway. She looked cross between distressed at the sight of so many children in need of her expertise, and cross that they could have been hurt like that in the first place.

'Professor Dumbledore! What on… What happened?'

Kenshin was surprised at how fast she turned from distressed to all business. Dumbledore explained the situation to her and quickly she was bustling about getting Kenshin, Harry, Ron and Sanosuke beds, treating them like little kids, despite their protests.

Firstly she went to Harry. Kenshin couldn't see what she was doing as she had her back to him, but she wasn't with the unconscious boy long (except to draw the curtains to change him into pyjamas, making Kenshin blush a little at the thought.) Soon she came to Ron, pronouncing that he had a concussion and would need to stay in the wing overnight to make sure nothing happened. She then turned to Sanosuke, pulling out her wand and muttered something as she pointed it to his arm. He yelped in surprise, before staring, as his arm was as good as new again. However, he was also told he had to stay the night to see if fighting the troll had done anything else. Kenshin privately thought the troll could have done little else to the thick-headed rooster. Then she turned to Kenshin.

She looked shocked as she checked Kenshin over. His arm had a shallow, but long cut ranging from the top of his arm, curving down just above his elbow. His wrists were rubbed raw from his struggles against the ropes. Smaller cuts had scraped him all over his back, some deeper than others from his meeting with the wall and he also felt drained to, from manipulating his life force (though she didn't know that). As predicted, he also had a nice big bruise all across his right side. Thankfully, his ribs had not broken, the bones just bruised a little.

The matron immediately had him change into pyjama bottoms behind a curtain and lie on his stomach on the bed and began to clean the wounds on his back. Kenshin grit his teeth to stop him yelling in pain as she had to scrap out tiny bits of rock and dirt that had become embedded in the cuts. However, he didn't make a sound. She then pulled out her wand and closed all the wounds before turning her attention to his arm. After a bit she glared at Kaoru and Hermione, who were hovering around to see if they would be alright and waved them out of the wing, telling them it was too late for visiting hours and they could come back in the morning. Kaoru looked ready to pull her bokken again, but instead stomped out of the room, glaring through half-moon eyes while Hermione tailed her. Kenshin gave a slightly pained chuckle at their antics.

Unfortunately, they didn't have a spell to instantly heal bruising of bones, so they would have to heal on its own for a little while. Kenshin was ordered to take a potion that could help strengthen the bones that tasted awful to say the least and was forced to stay in the hospital wing for a few days. In short, Kenshin was not amused. However, he did as ordered.

For what was left of the night, Kenshin lay on his side to avoid knocking his other side and glanced over at Harry, pale and unmoving in the bed next to him. Kenshin bit his lip. He hoped Harry would pull through. Even he wasn't sure what had transpired to render the dauntless raven-haired boy unconscious.

o0o

'What are you doing out of bed!' Kenshin cringed as the irate nurse spotted him walking slowly down across the room. Slowly, he turned to face Madam Pomfrey, who stood legs akimbo, hands on her hips and was glaring down at him.

'Sorry, but I needed to use the restroom,' Kenshin replied, giving her an innocent smile.

'You're on strict bed rest until your wounds have healed enough to keep from running the risk of becoming worse and even breaking if you knocked them when you move around. You aren't allowed to walk around on your own until Thursday, at the earliest! How many times do I have to tell you! Now go back to your bed before you hurt yourself Mr Himura.' The Matron glared at him. 'You had better be there when I get back!' With that, she turned on her heel and stalked back to her office. Somehow, she reminded Kenshin of a vulture, swooping round her prey in circles.

Kenshin had been in the hospital wing for a day now. Ron and Sanosuke had been given the all-clear earlier on in the day and had promptly scarped once they found out Harry was stable, leaving Kenshin alone, bored out of his mind in the ward, worried about Harry and with no way to take his mind off things. Coupled with the fact that Pomfrey had refused point-blank to let him even set one foot on the floor unattended – it was driving Kenshin stir-crazy.

Someone laughed and Kenshin glanced round to find Kaoru in the doorway of the wing. She had visited Kenshin as much as she could when she wasn't needed to be in lessons, for which Kenshin was eternally grateful, though a little guilty at having taken up her free time. "You really like to get her all riled up, don't you? You only try to walk around when she's doing her rounds," Kaoru giggled as she approached him. Kenshin continued down the room at a slow pace so he could stretch his legs a little more.

"Iie, she's just the only one who really cares whether or not I'm out of bed. My side is getting better, and I'm not doing anything that would cause them to get hurt more, so I don't really see what the problem is. I suppose it doesn't matter. In a few more days, she won't have to worry about me. I heard her talking with Professor Dumbledore yesterday evening. It sounds like Harry might wake up either tomorrow or the day after!"

"Really?" Kaoru said happily. "The other's will be really pleased. They've been worrying about him."

"Along with just about the rest of the school," Kenshin added as he eyed what looked like half a sweet shop stacked high on a table beside him that kept growing larger every minute as a new 'well-wishers' came in to visit him. Kenshin was rather surprised Harry hadn't been buried under the teetering mountain yet. Not that Kenshin himself could say anything. Not only had some of the picture's subjects from around the school checked in on him through the large painting above the door, but he also seemed to have got the other half of the sweet shop that Harry had got.

Kaoru nodded, "You know nearly everyone knows what happened already! None of us have said anything, but somehow even some of the other houses have come to us to ask if I had helped you lot get passed Fluffy or if Sanosuke really beat up the troll or not. Even the Slytherins have asked!"

"The pictures have been gossiping," Kenshin noted.

"Sanosuke keeps telling people to lay off coming in here to ask you what really happened in the last chamber, cause he thinks it isn't time yet."

This made Kenshin grin. "Told them with his fists, I bet!" he laughed.

"There's still been some pretty wild roomers going round. Someone mentioned something about you guys having had to wrestle with a dragon or something."

Kenshin spluttered, unsure whether to laugh or to choke in indignation and it came out something like a hacking cough that made his ribs ache.

Kaoru looked a little concerned until she realised what had transpired and waited for him to control himself. After a moment, she said "Will you be coming out of here soon?"

Kenshin shrugged. "I'm really not sure. I feel like I should have gone out yesterday, but Madam Pomfrey is determined I stay here."

'MR HIMURA!'

Kenshin winced and they both turned to find a rather vexed Madam Pomfrey storming towards them.

'Mr. Himura! When I say go back to your bed again, I MEAN go back to your bed again!' she practically yelled at a cringing Kenshin. She then rounded on Kaoru, whose eyes were now the size of plates. 'You're his friend, why didn't you make him get back into bed? He could be making his side worse! You want him to heal faster, don't you!' she said, looking at Kaoru accusingly.

"Ano…" Kaoru stuttered, not expecting to be caught in the crossfire and now not sure how to get out.

'Sorry,' Kenshin apologised, finding the floor suddenly very interesting.

Kaoru, not wanting to get involved any further, decided that it was time to go. "Well, I've got to get back to the dormitories now, or I'll get in trouble for staying up passed curfew, but I'll see you later, Kenshin!"

Kenshin gave her a pleading look that said don't-leave-me-to-deal-with-her-on-my-own. Kaoru shrugged apologetically as if to say hey-she's-your-nurse-not-mine before turning and bolted from the room as if her life depended on it. Pomfrey turned back to Kenshin, who cringed, wondering how she could look so much like an enraged Hiko in just one look. _I think I'd rather fight Quirrell and Voldemort all over again…_

'Now, Mr. Himura, I expect full co-operation from you from now on while you are still in my care, or I will have you strapped to that bed to ensure you follow my orders!' she said, staring at him as if daring him to argue.

"Oro!"

o0o

Kenshin sat up on his bed, legs crossed and his breathing slow an even in meditation out of having nothing else better to do. His nerves had already been worn rather thin by his strict orders and the fact he was almost bouncing off the walls as it was. If anything, the Hiten Mitsurugi had given him almost limitless stores of energy and he had nothing to get rid of it. It was the worst thing that could happen to someone who was so used to practising every day. He was almost worried he'd get out of practice. So, the only thing he could do short of sneaking off and getting into trouble with the over-zealous matron was to practice on his ki reading. He had to say, once this was all over, Hiko might be shocked with the progress, seeing as this was what he seemed to have been practising the most since he got here.

It was as he was sitting like that when he felt a strong presence enter the room. However, he decided not to acknowledge it. Kenshin had already heard that Dumbledore would be visiting the wing at some point during the day to check on Harry.

'Good afternoon, Mr Himura'

Kenshin almost fell off the bed. He hadn't expected the Headmaster to actually acknowledge him. Quickly, he stuttered a good afternoon back as soon as he got a hold of himself.

The professor was sitting on a small, three-legged stool between Harry's bed and his own, facing him and looking at him over his half-moon glasses, mirth twinkling in his eyes. 'I see you are recovering nicely, Kenshin.' He observed.

'I'm much better, thank you, but Madam Pomfrey says I should stay in a little longer to make sure I don't damage my side any more.' Kenshin answered politely.

'Ah, yes, our matron is somewhat overprotective at times'

Kenshin glanced at him in disbelief. That was not what he expected him to say. He thought he would have taken a similar approach. Kenshin licked his lips. Perhaps he wouldn't mind telling him what he had missed, isolated as he had been.

'Professor? If you forgive me for asking, but could you tell me a little about what has been happening since we came in?'

'There is no need to ask for forgiveness for simple curiosity, Kenshin, as long as it doesn't harm another, intentionally or not. What would you like to know about?'

The old man again surprised Kenshin. Kami, he was even more of an enigma than his shishou. He just couldn't get a solid reading of the guy. Yet one thing he did know – this man was someone to be respected and to be trusted. Kenshin turned on the bed, dangling his feet off the side so he could face the headmaster.

'Could you tell me… what happened to Quirrell and the stone after we left? I don't think that Voldemort got it…'

'Ah, good, good. I must say it is refreshing to hear someone speak Voldemort's name.'

Kenshin blushed. 'Well, to fear a name is a little foolish. To fear a name only increases the fear of the thing itself.'

'Quite right, Kenshin.' Dumbledore seemed to look at him respectfully.

He paused for a second, glanced at the professor, then said. 'Um, what kind of name is Voldemort anyway? It's a little, well, silly, especially since so many people are scared of it.'

'Ah! Well, I suppose you would have to ask him yourself. Though I suggest that wouldn't be wise,' said Dumbledore. His expression was serious, but there was a hint of mirth in his eyes. Finally, he answered Kenshin's previous question. 'You are also correct in assuming that Voldemort did not get the stone. You and Harry managed to protect it long before I arrived. You two were doing well on your own, I must say. The stone has been destroyed.'

Kenshin's eyes widened. 'Destroyed? But what about your friend, Nicolas Flamel?'

'Oh, you know about Nicolas?' Was it just Kenshin's imagination, or did Dumbledore sound positively delighted? 'You did do the thing properly, didn't you?' He went on to explain that they had spoken and it was all for the best in Flamel's opinion. 'It will be just like going to sleep after a very, _very, _long day.' He concluded

'I guess it's better to shine brightly, even for a second, than to live a dull, grey life for eternity.' Kenshin added, a little reluctantly. In Kenshin's opinion, death wasn't the answer to anything, but he could see the sense in this.

'Professor Quirrell, on the other hand, Voldemort left to die.'

Kenshin froze at this. He was dead? Quirrell was dead? He didn't… did he?

'No, you didn't,' Dumbledore said, causing Kenshin to jump. How did he know what he was thinking! 'It was Voldemort. It goes to show just how little mercy he shows to, not only his enemies, but to his followers as well.'

Kenshin shuddered, wondering how anyone could be so harsh. He decided not to continue down that track. 'I had thought that… perhaps Snape was also Voldemort's follower. But Quirrell said he wasn't… so, why did he seem to hate Harry so much?'

'Its Professor Snape, Kenshin'

'Ah…Sorry.'

Dumbledore smiled a little, then said, 'Well, it had something to do with his dislike for Harry's father. They did rather detest each other, much like Harry and Mr Malfoy. However, James also saved his life. I don't think Snape was too happy, being in James' debt, which it why he tried so hard to save Harry's life this year.'

Oh! So that was why Snape had been chanting along with Quirrell – he was chanting a counter curse! Kenshin felt a little bad for suspecting him. Still…

'Seems a silly reason to hate Harry though…'

'Mm. Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it?' Kenshin could only nod in agreement, deciding not to think on it too much, it was just making his head spin. Instead, he decided to as him the last thing that had been plaguing him since they had returned through the trap door.

'Professor? There is one last thing…'

'Just the one?'

'Why…why did Voldemort, when he spoke to me, call me Battosai?'

Dumbledore, however, rather than answering, sighed rather deeply this time. 'Alas, the last thing you ask, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day… put it from your mind for now, Kenshin. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know.'

Kenshin opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. Dumbledore, just then, seemed as if he could halt all questions with a mere look. He knew he would get nothing out of arguing with him. Reluctantly, Kenshin put the question away, locking it up until the time came, and he would find his answer.

'Ah, and now it seems is time for Madam Pomfrey to check your side once more.' Dumbledore said, nodding over his shoulder. Kenshin promptly found himself dragged off by said matron.

By the time Kenshin had got back, it seemed that Harry was now awake and finishing speaking with Dumbledore. Harry glanced up as Kenshin got near.

'Harry-kun! You're awake – Are you okay?'

Harry smiled and gave Kenshin a thumb's up. "Yeah, more or less. We're alive right?" Kenshin smiled at that.

'Well, I must get going now. After all, there are things that need to be done and a feast to be prepared. However, before I go…' Suddenly, Dumbledore spotted something among the pile of goodies next to Harry's bed. 'Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavoured one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them-but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee one, don't you?'

Kenshin merely stared as Dumbledore smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"

Yes… Kenshin and Harry could only stare…

To be continued…

Chosha's notes

Anything you lot would like to know, mention or complain about? Please review! Oh, a little note on the sequel – yes, there is going to be one, but it might take a wile because of upcoming A-levels, but still, I will try to start it within the next few months. Anywho…

Next time on RKatPS

Harry and Kenshin receive visitors and the house cup is about to be rewarded. Sano has a bone to pick and Kaoru meets up with a certain cousin. The story draws to a close in: the Leavers Feast

Ja ne minna-san! See you next time!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


	21. Chapter 21

Chosha's notes

I'm upset… this is the last chapter! The last one! Meh… well, all good things come to an end, I suppose. Anywho, for all you dedicated readers, this ones for you!

Disclaimer: aw… sod off! Read the others!

Last time on RKatPS

Kenshin dealt with madam Pomfrey, Harry finally regained consiousness. Good job too – the leaving feast is about to start!

Chapter Twenty One

The Leaving Feast

Now that Harry was finally awake, Kenshin no longer felt like a not-so-house-trained puppy and had something to occupy himself with, namely chatting with Harry about what Dumbledore had said to him and what had happened after he fell unconscious. Coupled with the fact that Harry no longer looked like he was about to drift into the permanent sleep called death, Kenshin felt a little calmer than he had since he had come into the wing.

It was a little later in the afternoon when the other's had come to visit, but were surprised when the Matron became over-zealous again and wouldn't let them in. It took five minutes worth of begging to the point of them using puppy-dog eyes) from the two boys until Pomfrey finally gave up and let them in.

'_Harry!'_

Kenshin tried not to look as if he was going to dive out of the way any second when everyone charged into the room.

'If you weren't already in bed an' haven't been unconscious for three days, I'd knock you out myself,' Sanosuke grumbled. 'You scared us half to death! Next time you're gonna tell us abou' it first!' Kaoru pounded him on the head with a fist. Harry smiled.

'Next time. Promise.'

'The whole school's been talking about it,' Ron said excitedly, 'But Sanosuke wouldn't let us ask Kenshin until you woke up too. What really happened?'

It was one of those rather rare and extremely odd occasions when the truth was less believable than the rumours (_except that one about wrestling a dragon_, Kenshin thought). Harry told them everything, with a little help from Kenshin when he got stuck on the details. They were a really good audience. They gasped in the right places, Hermione sent them all into seizures when she screamed as Harry told them about Voldemort hidden behind the turban and Sanosuke cheered when Kenshin told them about knocking Quirrell-Voldemort across the room.

'So, what happened to you lot, when you went back to help Ron?' Harry asked.

'Well, I got back alright,' Hermione said. 'I tried to bring round Ron, when these guys showed up and played across the room, then came to help. Kaoru and I woke Ron up, while Sanosuke and Kenshin went to the next room –'

'Hang on, Sanosuke was with you?' Harry asked Kenshin. 'But when you got to me, he wasn't there. What happened to you?' this was aimed at Sanosuke.

'That damn troll woke up and decided to pick a fight with me,' Sanosuke grinned, cracking his knuckles. 'I held him off, while Kenshin went after you.'

Harry looked as if his eyes would drop out. Of course, Sanosuke looked strong, but to have defeated that thing on his own!

'Anyway,' Hermione looked a little put out by the interruption, 'Kaoru and I managed to bring Ron around – that took a while – and we dashed up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall. He already knew – Just said, "They've gone after him, haven't they?" and hurtled off to the third floor.

Kenshin was starting to think that man knew everything. He was worse than Hiko!

It wasn't long before Madam Pomfrey returned and bodily threw them out the door, leaving Harry staring and Kenshin listing Oros. Who'd have thought the Matron was so strong!

o0o

A few hours before the feast was due to start – which Kenshin was surprised to find they were allowed to go to, despite Pomfrey's obvious disapproval – another visitor decided to come. Kenshin was confused as to who it could be, until Madam Pomfrey opened the door to let him in.

Hagrid squeezed through the door seconds later. It was almost comical, seeing him try to get through the door and perch precariously on the tiny stool. He looked a little like Hiko trying to sit on a child's chair, a picture that would have sent Kenshin into hysterics, had it not been for the tense feel in the giant man's ki.

Hagrid took one look at the two of them – Harry still tucked up in bed and Kenshin with bandages covering his chest that poked through the open neck of his pyjamas – and, to their horror, burst into tears.

'It's – all – my – ruddy – fault!' He sobbed, his face in his hands, while Kenshin patted his back awkwardly. 'I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know an' I told him! Yer both could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a muggle!'

Kenshin glanced at Harry. 'Dragon's egg?'

'Yeah… about that, I'll tell you later.' Harry said sheepishly. He turned back to Hagrid. 'Hagrid! Hagrid, He'd have found out somehow.'

'It is Voldemort we're talking about,' Kenshin added. 'He would have found out even if you hadn't said anything.'

'Yer could have died!' sobbed Hagrid. 'An' don' say the name!'

Kenshin and Harry glanced at each other again before bellowing simultaneously 'VOLDEMORT!' Hagrid was so shocked he almost fell off the chair. At least he had stopped crying. It was making Kenshin feel bad that he had been part of the reason the giant man was upset. 'We met him, and we're calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid. We saved the stone, its gone, he can't get it.'

'Here, Hagrid-san,' Kenshin said gently, passing him a chocolate frog with a soft smile. 'Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault, de gozaru.'

Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and took the chocolate from Kenshin with a weak smile. 'Oh, that reminds me. I've got a present for you, Harry.'

'Its not another stoat sandwich is it…' Harry asked, looking at him apprehensively. Kenshin tried not to laugh, while Hagrid gave a watery chuckle.

'Nah,' said Hagrid, making Harry sigh with relief. 'Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he should have sacked me instead – anyway…'

Hagrid passed Harry a large leather-bound book. Kenshin glanced at it. It looked like some type of photo album. When Harry opened it, it was full of black-and-white wizard photographs. On every page was a beautiful, smiling woman, and beside her, a man that looked uncannily like Harry, but older, both waving up at him energetically. Kenshin knew immediately that this must be the parents' that Harry never got to have.

'Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos… Knew yer didn't have any… D'yeh like it?'

Harry opened his mouth, but it looked as if he couldn't answer. His eyes were watery. Kenshin turned away to give him a little privacy, squashing a tiny bit of jealousy. Harry now had pictures of his parents now, and Kenshin was happy for him. He deserved to have them, to see just who they were. Kenshin, however, had no pictures of his family left. All he had was half-faded memories, in which Kenshin couldn't even see their faces…

Not long later, it was time for them to go to the great hall for the Feast. However, Harry and Kenshin were held up by Pomfrey's fussing until Kenshin had to slip out of her grip and dashed off down the corridor, dragging Harry with him, followed by an echoing yell of 'MR HIMURA!' So, by the time they had got down there, the Great Hall was already filled.

Floating from the enchanted ceiling were banners of green and silver, a large serpent hissing motionlessly on the front - Slytherin colours. Behind the high table was a larger banner with the Slytherin serpent that seemed to dominate the entire wall. The golden plates and cups were scattered on the four house tables, but were still empty as dinner had yet to be served. There was an empty seat at the high table; Dumbledore had yet to arrive.

As soon as the two of them walked into the hall, there was a sudden hush. Kenshin's eyes widened as everyone turned to look at them. He knew his face was roughly the same hue as his hair. Ducking his head, Kenshin followed Harry as he headed over to the Gryffindor table. Harry sat between Ron and Hermione, while Kenshin hid himself between Kaoru and Sanosuke. He wasn't used to having so many people stare at him at once! It probably didn't help that he lived on a mountain where the only other person in a radius of half a mile was Hiko! To Kenshin's relief, Dumbledore showed up seconds later.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before the next year starts…"

Kenshin almost choked at that. Empty his head? Why on earth would he empty his head? He didn't have a death wish. Hiko would kill him if he even tried! Not that he wanted to anyway. Who would want to forget how to do magic? This was valuable knowledge!

Dumbledore continued, "Now as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two, Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, with four hundred and seventy-two."

A storm of cheering and stamping arose from the Slytherin table. Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust. Kenshin glanced around also to see Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. He caught the boy's eyes and glared, causing Malfoy to squeak and drop the goblet (along with his plate) on the floor with a clatter. Kenshin turned back round, hiding a grin under his hair. Just then, he could see why Hiko like to tease him so much!

"However," said Dumbledore. "There are recent events that must be taken account."

The room instantly went quiet and the Slytherins' smiles faded a little. Kenshin glanced up again, looking a little baffled.

"Let's see. I have a few last-minutes points to dish out, yes…

'First – to Mr. Ron Weasley, for playing the best-played game of chess Hogwarts rarely gets to see, I award Gryffindor house fifty points"

The burst of cheers from the Gryffindor table nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. You could hear Percy telling the other prefects, "That's my brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

Kenshin glanced up at the teachers' table and caught the Headmaster's eye. It was twinkling more than ever. Kenshin could almost see the man's lips twitch in amusement. Dumbledore raised his hand and everything went quiet again.

"Second- to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms, bursting into tears. All around her, her housemates cheered as they hugged Ron and patted Hermione on the back. They were up a hundred points!

"Third- to Mr. Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore. The room went deadly silent. You could have heard a-

Everyone glanced at the Gryffindor table to hear a small clatter. Sanosuke looked up with a blush. 'Sorry,' he said as he retrieved the pin from the floor. Kenshin sweat-dropped and Kaoru put her head in her hands.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more, before he continued "… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

If the Gryffindor house could sell joy for money, they would be rich. Their yells were almost deafening. A hundred and fifty points! They were just ten away from tying with the Slytherin house!

Dumbledore spoke again, quieting the crowd. "There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

The yells were deafening that time. Neville was white with shock as he disappeared underneath a pile of people hugging him. He has never won so much as a point for Gryffindor house before. Kenshin was pleased for him and cheered loudly along with the rest. Still, if only they had given them just one more point…

Dumbledore raised his hand again. Everyone went quiet. Was Dumbledore going to award another point? "Another type of courage to risk oneself in order to save someone dear, or even reveal a secret in order to save a friend. Therefore, I award fifty points each… to Mr Kenshin Himura, Mr Sanosuke Sagara and Miss Kaoru Kamiya

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table – no, not only the Gryffindor table, but the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables as well! People literally jumped on the three as the stared at each other in shock, before Sanosuke started making rude signs towards the Slytherins with a wide grin plastered over his face, soon joined in by the Weasley twins, Lee Jordan and Ron. Malfoy looked like he had forgotten how to breathe. The look of shock and horror on his face had Harry and Ron rolling about laughing.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause. "We need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. The green hangings became scarlet and the silver turned gold. The Slytherin serpent vanished and was replaced by a towering rampant Gryffindor lion, roaring to the heavens. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hands with a horrible, forced smile. Kenshin glanced between Harry and Snape when they caught each other's eyes. Kenshin knew Snape still hated Harry as much now as he did before – perhaps a little bit more now, as it was thanks to Harry his house had been beaten in their winning streak. Snape glanced at Kenshin and he realised he was also on Snapes Hit…er, _Hate_ list. Still, Kenshin didn't care. He was used to it by now.

Kaoru was laughing and hugged him giddily. Kenshin returned the smile with one of his own. If a picture was worth a thousand words… then the smiles over his friends and companions faces just then were worth a million.

o0o

Kenshin could hardly believe how fast the last days of term went! He had almost forgotten they were due to have exam results back until the papers with his marks were almost thrown at his face. Hermione was in a mood with him, while the others looked like they were about to have a stroke, when they found out that Kenshin had rivalled Hermione in all of his marks. They couldn't understand how such a modest guy like Kenshin could be as brainy as Hermione and not tell anyone. Kenshin blushed under the attention, muttering he had good motivation – namely the thought of Hiko beating him to the ground with his Katana.

Not that the others had done badly: Ron, Harry and Kaoru had all got good marks, Sanosuke had managed to get through by the skin of his teeth ('Serves you right for never revising' – Hermione) and even Neville made up for his terrible Potions grade in Herbology.

Suddenly, everything was gone. Wardrobes were empty, trunks were packed, and notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays. ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," Fred sighed dismally).

It was as they were waiting for the boats that Malfoy decided to show up.

'You got lucky this time, Potter.' He snarled. 'But you'll get yours.'

Sanosuke, Ron, Kaoru, Harry and Kenshin glanced at each other and identical evil grins spread on their faces. Sanosuke began to crack his knuckles, causing Malfoy to back off. He almost fainted as he saw Kenshin smile and finger the long parcel containing his sakabato.

'Y-you can't! you'll get in trouble!' he gasped.

Sanosuke grinned. 'house cups been awarded already. Now, we're gonna have a little talk…'

Malfoy screeched and tried to run, only to find Kaoru blocking the door with Ron and Harry. He blenched.

Finally after a long ride home on the Hogwarts Express with an unconscious Malfoy bound and gagged in the toilets, filled with eating chocolate 'til they felt ill, games of exploding snap and Oros when the hole compartment suddenly filled with smoke from the explosions, the train pulled into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.

It took quite some time to get off the platform. A wizened old wizard was up by the barrier, letting them out in twos or threes so as to not startle the muggles. After all, what would they think if they saw thousends of children burst out of what looks like a solid brick wall? The picture was laughable!

"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "all of you – I'll send you an owl."

'Thanks, I need something to look forward to,' Harry said with a weak smile

Kenshin smiled. 'It might take a while to get to me,' Kenshin said. 'After all, you'd have to go all the way to Japan – I guess I'll be going back by Portkey again. Anyway, Mika's only just forgiven me for all those times she had to send a letter to my Shishou.' Mika hooted as if to say, "You got that right!"

'I'm sure Mom won't mind,' Ron said. 'She'll be dying to meet you all.'

People jostled them as they moved forward towards the gateway back to the muggle world. Some of them called out to them as they passed.

"Bye, Harry!"

"See you, Potter!"

"Still famous," said Sanosuke with a grin.

"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry.

They passed through the gateway together. On the other side, Kenshin immediately stared as he saw a large group of people, all with flaming red hair, which he guessed was Ron's family. A young girl, only a little younger than they were, was bouncing on the balls of her feet, pointing at Harry.

'Harry Potter!' she squealed. 'Look Mom! I can see-'

'Be quiet, Ginny, Its rude to point,' said a large, Kind-looking woman whom Kenshin guessed was Ron's mother. Mrs Weasley smiled down at them. 'Busy year?' she said kindly.

'Very,' Said Harry with a small smile, exchanging a glance with Kenshin.

Kenshin gave the woman a small bow. 'Thank you for the Jumper and the fudge, Weasley-dono' He said as politely as he could. He thought the woman looked ready to scoop him up and hug him.

'Oi Ugly!'

Kaoru froze and glared around at a boy several years younger than them with spiky black hair and dark tanned skin. 'Yahiko! I'm going to kill you, you freeloader!' and she was immediately at his side, pulling at the corners of the boy's mouth, growling, 'You – Little – Brat!'

'Serves you right for that Christmas present,' Sanosuke yelled to the boy, then smirked. 'Yahiko-CHAN'

The boy broke from Kaoru's ministrations and growled 'Don't call me CHAN, Rooster-head!' before jumping on Sanosuke's head and chomping on his hair.

'Oi!'

"Baka Deshi'

Kenshin looked round with a smile as his shishou came up near him, "Hello, Shishou"

"I see you managed to stay alive then. Guess My training you has paid off."

"Shishou!" Kenshin cried indignantly.

"Well, I shouldn't expect anything less as you have been taught by me. Are you ready? We have a Portkey to catch and a spar promised."

Kenshin grimaced. He almost forgot about that.

However, he was put off from tracking that thought when he caught sight of his friends. All of them were staring at Hiko open mouthed in awe. Of course, how many times do you see and almost seven-foot Japanese man standing in a large white cloak over his broad, muscular shoulders, like some superhero out of Marvel comics.

'Th-that's your Master!' Spluttered Ron.

'He's nearly as big as Hagrid!' Harry gasped in awe. Kenshin smiled.

'Yes, that's Shishou for you.'

'Ready are you?' Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the newcomer. He was a large, purple-faced man with a brisling moustache, piggy eyes and what seemed like no neck to speak of. He seemed to radiate nastiness in his Ki and Kenshin took an immediate dislike to him. He was eyeing them all as if they were mud (or worse). Behind him was a woman with a long face like a horse, and a blonde haired boy hiding behind her… or at least attempting to. The boy looked like a miniature killer whale trying to hide behind a stick!

Kenshin watched as they finally turned to leave. Harry seemed as if the wind had been blown out of him. He was radiating misery. Kenshin paused, hesitated a little, before coming to a decision. "Wait a minute, Shishou," Kenshin said. He raced over to Harry and whispered into his ear. "I know that we can't do magic over the summer. Shishou knows that too, but…Just because you can't do magic, doesn't mean _they_ know."

Harry looked over at Kenshin to see his eyes glittering with a slightly out-of-character impishness. Harry stared for a second, before what Kenshin said sunk in. Harry grinned, catching the hidden message.

Kenshin waved goodbye to his friends and caught up with Hiko. His master gave Kenshin a side-glance, his mouth twitching in amusement. Kenshin harboured no fantasies that his Shishou hadn't heard what he had said. Kenshin, however, looked back innocently and followed his master out of the station and into the crowded streets of London. He couldn't wait for next term. Where else would he learn all about Magic, have convocations with ghosts and talking pictures, argue with poltergeists or have such good friends? Kenshin smiled.

_Well, Only at Hogwarts…_

**-OWARI…For Now…-**

Chosha's notes

Yes, for now… mwahahahaha! Sorry, insane moment. No, really, I have taken in all votes and the sequel will continue as planned! But until then, I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews. You guys are the ones who incouraged me to continue and I owe you lot big time. So, as a little present, I give you…

Preview of an impending tale:

A new darkness descends. Voices, baying for death. Blood messages dripping from walls. Paranoia sets in as friends fall around them. Kenshin is once more drawn into another mystery at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry - the chamber of secrets has opened once more…

The story continues in: RuroKen and the Chamber of Secrets

For now, Sayonara! See you on the next instalment of the RuroKen-Potter series!

Chosha Kurenai xXx


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